Dragon's Advent
by Hikawa Kajinendo
Summary: Half a year after the Grand Magic Games, things are looking up for our favorite guild! It's just too bad that heroes never get to enjoy peace as long as they'd like. Events are moving forward and once more it's up to Fairy Tail to toss a wrench into things! WARNING: Developing Gruvia, NaLu, Jerza, RoWen, GaLe, and more! Don't like 'em, don't read. Also OCs
1. Ch 1: Idle Hands

Disclaimer: _Fairy Tail_ does not, obviously, belong to me or I'd be currently drawing out the next chapter rather than writing a fanfiction. Also, this is the only time I'm saying it. We all know the drill by now (unless this is your first fanfic, in which case congrats! Hope you have some Brain Bleach for future readings)

**Chapter 1: Idle Hands**

Fairy Tail had been seeing quite a revival after the conclusion of the Grand Magic Games; the guild's spectacular performance and the part they played in averting yet _another_ disaster threatening Fiore had boosted their fame considerably. Though they were still not yet enjoying the same level of fame they once had seven years ago, things had definitely taken a turn for the better. While still receiving menial job requests as always, jobs paying out substantial amounts of jewels had finally begun trickling in. Now, nearly half a year since the end of the Grand Magic Games, Fairy Tail was in as high spirits as ever, especially with the return of former members who had left after Tenrou Island's supposed destruction and the growing number of mages expressing an interest in joining. Things were looking up for the future of the once-dilapidated, once-humiliated, once-looked-down-upon guild and its members.

The first thing the Fairy Tail members had done once they had the Jewels was to buy back their old guild hall. Certainly the rundown tavern that had served as a poorer Fairy Tail's base of operations had its charm, but with the boisterous and hotheaded members back it was in constant danger of total destruction. This was especially true when they found that releasing their Second Origins led to more property damage than before. So, after making the necessary repairs and touching up the once-abandoned HQ, including reopening the souvenir shop, they quickly moved back in. Their members' individual strengths collectively helped to mitigate repair costs; Makarov couldn't help but feel proud when looking at the reclaimed guild hall. It had been a wreck, but now it shone like new and all because of the effort his "children" had made. Some of them, especially those who had been left behind during those long seven years, still had that look of nostalgia and wistful imaginings when gazing at the guildhall. Even Max in his reopened, refurbished Fairy Tail Souvenir Shop found himself absentmindedly readjusting figurines and other assorted goods that lined his shelves with a goofy grin on his face; sometimes he found himself grinning broadly whenever an old customer told him that they still had the old Fairy Tail souvenirs in their possession and were hoping to add to their collection. And, something that never failed to please the guild, Twilight Ogre had less strut in their step and always found some excuse to walk in the other direction whenever they spotted anyone bearing the Fairy Tail mark.

That isn't to say _everything_ was going swimmingly for our favorite Fairies. But they wouldn't be Fairy Tail if they focused on the bad things all the time, would they?

"Cana-san, don't you think you've had enough?"

"Huh? What're ya talkin' about, Kinana? I'm just getting started!"

"Hmmm... no, not that one, maybe—"

"Outta the way Nab! Oi, Lucy! Let's do this one!"

"Aye!"

"Ehh?! I-I dunno about that one, Natsu..."

"Gray-sama! Juvia made lunch, just for you!"

"Uh, a-actually, I already..."

"Levy-chan! Let's go on a job!"

"Sorry, Jet, Droy, I already promised Gajeel..."

"Scram punks! The Shrimp an' I got a job to do! Gihihihi!"

Yes, things were going well for Fairy Tail. But there were always those that had been left behind, the sad reminder of what those lost seven years had cost them.

Makarov stood there in quiet contemplation, letting old, familiar memories wash over him as he gazed sadly at the graves before him. Even there, at Magnolia's cemetery, Fairy Tail had left its mark. The old man remembered them, his lost children, to whom he had never had the chance to say goodbye and perhaps never will. But he was proud of them. They had believed in Fairy Tail and stuck to their virtues to their dying breath.

Mikuni Shin. Died rescuing crystal miners trapped after a tunnel collapsed. Exhausted from using his magic to get all sixteen survivors to safety, he was killed from behind by the dark mage responsible for the collapse. Needless to say, the miners took revenge for their fallen hero.

Wang Chan Ji. Died protecting a trading caravan from a Weretiger ambush. He saved the family who owned the caravan; whenever they are in Magnolia, anyone bearing the Fairy Tail mark receives a significant discount offered to nobody else. They never found the body.

Krov and Niggy. Died freeing a town from the control of a dark guild. The dark guild in question no longer exists; the town erected a memorial in their honor.

Tono Rabbits. Died on his way back to Magnolia after a job. Despite his exhaustion, he saved a group of children and their caretaker from a bandit raid. They were unable to get him to a healer in time; he died with a smile.

Enno. Died hunting a Wyvern with Joey. She managed to severely wound the monster before it snapped her neck, allowing Joey to finish it off. Even after returning to Fairy Tail, he still blames himself for her death.

Roy, Hana, and Leron of Team Mega-Death. Died trying to prove Fairy Tail was still a force to reckon with. Completing one job after another, without rest, they were eventually killed by a dark guild. Mickey, the last remaining member of Team Mega-Death, ensured that no one else would die by their hands. She has yet to overcome her grief, her guilt, and return to Fairy Tail.

Chico=C=Hammitt. Died defending Magnolia from the last remaining members of Naked Mummy. When Twilight Ogre refused to lift a hand without being paid, the remaining members of Fairy Tail stepped up to repel the attackers. Using the last of her magic, Chico called upon all the wandering spirits in Magnolia and ended the battle. She died from overexertion.

With a sad smile Makarov spoke to his lost children, telling them of recent events, of new members, of blossoming loves and growing friendships. He stood there for a while, talking, until he found he had nothing left to say. There had been so many lost, others who would never return to the guild, other graves where his children lay in their eternal slumber.

A hand hesitantly tapped the old guild master's shoulder, gaining his attention. Turning, he found one of Fairy Tail's newest members standing behind him with a sad smile on her face. The girl was Rosa Dole, one of the children Tono had saved the day he died and another misfit who had sought out Fairy Tail for a place to belong. The orange-haired teenager held a cluster of bananas in her arms, the sight of this eliciting a small chuckle from Makarov before he noticed she was accompanied by Fairy Tail's former 4th Guild Master, Macao Conbolt. The Purple Flare Mage nodded respectfully to Makarov as Rosa gently set the bananas on Tono's grave, speaking quiet words to her deceased hero that the two men knew they had no right to listen in on.

"Smile, Macao," the old man gently admonished as they watched Rosa, her own smile growing a bit brighter while she spoke. "You know how they'd feel if they could see you right now."

Macao couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I know." Then he grinned. "Knowing them, they'd probably join in on the brawl, too."

"Brawl?" Makarov groaned. "Let me guess..."

"It is," Macao confirmed.

"Humph, and we just finished repairs, too. What timing." As Rosa joined them Makarov reached out and gently patted one of the headstones; it didn't matter which one, they would know the gesture was for all of them. "I'll come by again later. Right now, we gotta stop those knuckleheads from wrecking our home." With one last smile he waved and turned away, with Macao and Rosa quietly following him out of the silent cemetery.

The walk back was quiet, but it wasn't gloomy. The sun was high, the sky was blue, and people cheerfully greeted them in the streets. As the guild hall came into view and the commotion inside audible, Makarov glanced at Rosa with a smile. "How was the job? Your team was gone longer than everyone expected."

She smiled back at him, and Makarov noted how more relaxed she was than when she had first come to the guild. "Sorry for worrying you guys, Master, but we would've been back sooner if Ver hadn't insisted on finding wandering souls as soon as we were back in Magnolia. That took longer than it should have," she explained in her usual soft-spoken tone.

"Did you tell Verity that you could go ghost hunting after reporting back?" Macao asked with a chuckle. Rosa sighed, looking chagrined.

"Yes, but you know how he is."

Makarov let out a laugh, putting his hand on the guild doors. "That reminds me, has anyone figured out Verity's gender yet?"

"No, but everyone's still making bets," Rosa said, giggling. Macao couldn't help but chuckle; he had put down some wagers himself on the new member's gender himself and he suspected Makarov had done the same.

Shaking his head, Makarov gave the doors a gentle shove. "Well, let's get this over with." As the doors swung open, revealing the chaos within, the little old guild master grew to a terrifying size and roared, "YOU BRATS! ARE YOU TRYING TO WASTE THE TIME WE SPENT FIXING UP THIS PLACE?!"

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Once the Master had returned, the fight was quickly (and brutally) broken up, with the two main offenders running off on the excuse they had jobs to do in order to escape further punishment. Lucy and Levy had been dragged off with them, and the guild hall was noticeably quieter once they were gone. Gray breathed a sigh of relief from his position at the bar, Kinana taking a break from polishing wine glasses to smile at the Ice Mage. "Were they too rough for you, Gray-san?"

"Nah, just think that it's a nice change to have some peace and quiet for once," Gray chuckled. By some miracle, his clothes had managed to stay on during the brawl and for that the barmaid was secretly grateful. Not that he had an unattractive body, far from it, but she'd rather not be on the receiving end of Juvia's jealousy if the Water Mage thought she was having indecent thoughts about her "Gray-sama." As it were, Juvia was preoccupied looking at the jobs posted on the request board, so there was some relief to be had; that didn't mean she wasn't occasionally sneaking glances in Gray's direction, though.

Before long they were joined by Cana, who chose to seat herself on the counter rather than on one of the stools. Kinana, who was used to this by now, just smiled and left to procure a barrel of alcohol for the Card Mage. While she was gone, Cana nudged Gray with her foot, bearing a lecherous grin that made the Ice Mage rather uncomfortable. "So how goes things with Juvia, hm? You haven't gotten her pregnant, have ya?"

That was the last thing he'd expected her to ask; he nearly fell out of his seat in his surprise. "What?! I... we... we don't have that kind of relationship!"

"Really?" Cana accepted the barrel Kinana brought back, lifting it effortlessly as she brought it to her lips, greedily drinking the alcohol as though it were the last barrel in Fiore. With a happy sigh, she returned her attention to Gray as Kinana resumed cleaning glasses. "After everything that happened at the Grand Magic Games, you _still_ haven't given her an answer? And I thought Alzack and Bisca were bad..."

"Things worked out for them in the end," Gray retorted, his face a nice shade of scarlet.

"That ain't the point," Cana pressed on, looking visibly annoyed. Kinana wisely chose to stay out of it, continuing her duty of glass-polishing. "Look, she's clearly said—over and over, might I add—how she feels about _you_. What I'm askin' is how do _you_ feel about _her_? It ain't complicated."

"For you, maybe," Gray muttered, looking peeved. "I'm the one who has to deal with it."

"So then stop screwin' around and—!"

"Gray-sama!" Cana quickly cut herself off upon hearing the singsong voice, hastily lifting her barrel to take a long draught of alcohol and avoid any awkward questioning. Gray looked slightly relieved at this interruption as he turned to Juvia, his shirt and jacket mysteriously missing.

"Yeah?"

"Juvia would like to know if Gray-sama would like to do a job with Juvia," said Juvia, her face becoming increasingly crimson as she stared at Gray with such passion the temperature in the guild hall felt like it went up by several degrees. The Ice Mage didn't answer her immediately, instead noticing that Cana was glaring at him from behind her barrel. A casual glance at Kinana showed that the Take-Over-Mage-in-training was _also_ giving him a rather pointed look, though something had changed in her eyes that sent chills down his spine. Clearly, there was only one route, though he wouldn't have minded so much if he hadn't been basically forced into it. _Still, if you can keep her from running into Lyon..._

_Shut up_, he firmly told his own brain before returning his attention to the Water Mage. "Sure. What did you have in mind?"

Juvia quickly procured the request flyer from the board and handed it to him, smiling from ear-to-ear with an overjoyed gleam in her eyes. Trying to ignore his quickening heartbeat, Gray looked over the job with a raised brow. _320,000 J for hunting a bunch of Vulcans? There's gotta be a catch._ The only other information the flyer offered was the town the request had originated from and who to see for more details regarding the job. _Wait... Lynberg... where have I heard that before?_

Gray thought for a moment longer before he shrugged. Oh well. He'll just find out when they get there.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

While Gray was being grilled by Cana, other guild members were having their own discussion about love. And, unfortunately for her, a certain Sky Sorceress was caught up in the middle of it. Not that she minded talking with new friends; it was just that their comments and speculation on the subject always invariably ended up on the subject of her and the only other Fairy Tail mage her age. Well, close enough to her age to be considered viable romantic material for her anyways.

"So come on, Verity-chan, aren't you gonna tell us? Don't you have a special guy in mind?" asked a girl with midnight black hair, brown eyes boring into the androgynous mage sitting across the table from her. The Clay-Make Mage Nenetl Caolin (sometimes just called "Net") was the nosy type of person, Wendy had discovered, always taking notes of anything she found out about someone. And somehow she found out a lot. Even now, she was sitting with a pocket-sized journal in one hand with a pen in the other, ready to take notes.

Verity Dawson, Charm Mage, shook his/her head. "I don't have anyone I am currently interested in romantically, male or female," she/he replied, eliciting an annoyed glare from Net. He/she wasn't going to fall for such a simple trick; she/he had managed to maintain his/her androgyny for this long, it would take more than that to get her/him to let his/her true gender slip. With wide, shining brown eyes, long platinum blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, a petite nose and a small, round face, it was easy to see why many believed Verity was a girl. But with the occasional rough, masculine edge to her/his voice, a chest flatter than _Wendy's_, and a height that would obviously rival Gajeel's in a couple more years, it was just as easy to see why just as many others thought Verity a boy.

After a few more failed attempts to get Verity to finally settle the mass of wagers that had been made since he/she joined Fairy Tail, Nenetl decided to switch targets. She'd already grilled Rosa once she returned (to no avail; the soft spoken girl could be surprisingly stubborn when she wanted to be), Bisca was married, Juvia's love was incredibly obvious, Cana always managed to turn the questions back around on her, Kinana would only say that she was waiting (without saying for whom!), Evergreen scared her (especially with Elfman currently away on a job with his sisters), Laki's unusual way of expressing herself confused her, and the other women of Fairy Tail were away on jobs. Net never bothered asking the guys anything about their love lives; she (mistakenly) believed all of them would give her perverted answers. Though considering what many of the males in Fairy Tail were like, she probably wasn't too far off.

That left one target. And it didn't take Wendy long to realize she was in trouble when Net gave her a too-innocent-to-be-genuine smile. "And what about you, Wendy-chan? Anyone catch your eye? Like, I dunno, a certain Fire Mage? About your age, black hair, looks like a mini-Natsu..."

"No!" Wendy denied vigorously, her face turning a brilliant shade of red none of the mages sitting at the table had ever seen before. "We're just friends! I-I mean... it's not that he's unlikable or anything, or... um..."

"But you've gone on several missions with him since the Grand Magic Games," Rosa said, causing Wendy's blush to deepen.

"W-Well, Mira-san suggested it. She said that since we're about the same age, we should try getting used to completing jobs together as a team..."

At this the girls and Verity exchanged knowing looks. _Mirajane, of course..._

"Charle didn't object?" Verity asked, glancing at where the white Exceed was holding a conversation with a lazy-looking grey Exceed. Or scolding her, rather. The grey Exceed was Coral, and was pretty much regarded as a permanent fixture in the guildhall now. From what Verity had overheard her saying to the other Fairy Tail cats, she had "hatched" here in Earthland, but had never been more specific than that. Coral had arrived at Fairy Tail alongside Verity; they had met during Verity's journey to Magnolia and once the Exceed learned that Verity was planning on joining the guild that had stood out so much at the Grand Magic Games she had insisted on joining the androgynous teen there.

There was only one issue, though. After setting foot in the guildhall, Coral had yet to set foot _outside_ it. According to the lazy Exceed, with eyes half-closed and one ear bent, she was looking for someone and would not leave until she found whoever that person was. Many Fairy Tail members had already placed bets on what kind of person the Exceed was waiting for; these bets had been placed months ago, and the Exceed had yet to cease mooching off the guild.

"She did at first, until Mira-san agreed that Romeo-san and I would only go on jobs together if we had a chaperone," Wendy replied, not needing to add that Charle had to approve the chaperone first. Which usually wasn't too bad, since Mirajane was remarkably good at reasoning with the Exceed, but with Mirajane currently unavailable Charle essentially had free reign.

Net didn't bother asking if Charle counted as a chaperone. _She should, I've never met such a strict cat before... Then again, I never met cats that could talk or fly until I came to Fairy Tail._ Instead, she chose to switch tactics and try to lower Wendy's guard a little. "That reminds me, you going on another job soon? Me and the girls (Verity gave her a sharp look at this) were planning on taking a break, since we just got back and all."

"Was it that bad?" Wendy asked, worried. Verity shook his/her head.

"We would rather not talk about it."

Meanwhile, Romeo Conbolt was perusing the Request Board, trying to ignore Verity and the girls' conversation. Unfortunately for him, they were just close enough that while they weren't particularly loud he could still make out every word they said. And when Net started questioning Wendy, he tried even harder to not listen. Not just because he respected Wendy's privacy on the matter of how she felt towards him (though he had already known that, at their current stage, they were well and truly just friends) but also because Lucy and Levy had asked him similar questions about how _he_ felt towards the Sky Dragon Slayer before Natsu and Gajeel whisked them away.

"_We're just friends,"_ he had told them. _"We're pretty much the same age and we get along just fine, why wouldn't we team up?"_ That hadn't stopped them from giving him a look he'd seen Mirajane (and Cana, and Erza, and Levy, and even some of the new members...) give Lucy all too often when asking her about Natsu. Of course, it hadn't helped that he had hung out with Wendy quite often whenever she was free, back at the Grand Magic Games. _But it's not like I knew anyone else my age there._ Even in his head, that attempt at justification sounded weak.

Back to perusing. There weren't too many requests left on the board; Makarov had yet to post whatever new requests had come in, as he was sorting through them to separate the S-Class quests from the rest (not to mention remove and burn the joke requests that occasionally attempted to slip in). But that didn't stop Romeo (and Nab, of course) from standing there trying to pick a good one.

Lost pet, lost watch, lost jewelry... _Do they really need to hire mages for that?_ Shrugging, Romeo looked through the other jobs available. _Merchant escort, find wild herbs, babysit... Vulcan hunting? _Instantly Romeo was interested. Even though his dad had taken out nineteen Vulcans on that one job seven—well, almost eight now—years ago and countless other Vulcans since, the fact that he had nearly lost him to the last one had still left its mark. And while he hadn't yet had the fortune to take on a Vulcan himself...

Well, there was still one problem with that. Even if Wendy did like the idea of going on the job with him, Charle would probably veto it if they couldn't find a mage who would go along with them that was good enough (by the Exceed's standards) to help them take out the monsters. That already removed a good portion of guild members who weren't away on missions or busy with other things. Even of those who had been left behind seven years ago; they were all much stronger than back then, but some of their personalities had... issues that likely wouldn't sit well with the protective Exceed.

_Well, no harm in trying, right?_ Even as Romeo was reaching out to take the request, a blue blur beat him to the punch. Blinking at the blank spot before him, Romeo turned to see Juvia handing the _same job flyer he had just been looking at_ over to Gray. The adoring look she gave the half-naked mage wasn't lost on him. Neither was the Ice Mage's answering shrug.

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Now, Gray wasn't an idiot. Or at least a total idiot (like Natsu, in a _completely non-biased _example). He had been there when Mira made the deal with Charle on allowing Romeo and Wendy to team up. He also remembered that one incident last—wait, no, eight years ago. So when he saw Romeo looking at him—or rather, the flyer in his hand—Gray was able to connect the dots.

And this gave him an idea, an idea that would, with luck, help him cash in on all those wagers nearly everyone in Fairy Tail had made a couple months back. Especially as Natsu had bet on a later date than he had.

"Juvia, you wouldn't mind if we brought a couple more people with us, would you?" he asked the Water Mage, carefully choosing his words. "Maybe a couple people who could use the experience?"

For a moment, Juvia looked confused and a little annoyed; not at Gray, of course, but at the thought that she wouldn't get to be alone with him for the job. And she had chosen the job _specifically_ because she wanted to be alone with her "Gray-sama" in Lynberg, which would have given her a chance to be more... _intimate_ with him. Then he jerked his head at Romeo, who had turned back to the request board with a frown, and Juvia soon understood, her annoyance disappearing as she returned his smile and nodded.

It helped that she had made a few wagers herself two months ago as well.

**Author's Notes**

**And there we have it, the first chapter of my first Fairy Tail fanfic! Sorry if the canon characters feel a bit OOC (or even very OOC) since I've never written for Fairy Tail before. I'm trying to keep things as canonical as possible (or at least stick to what was canonical **_**when I first wrote this**_**, Chapter 318) and I also apologize for suddenly thrusting a number of OCs in your faces as well. I felt that, with Fairy Tail's popularity up high once more, membership application would rise, too. And they don't seem the type of guild to turn people away without giving them a chance (especially Makarov!). Don't worry, I do have other reasons in mind for why new members hadn't started applying sooner, Fairy Tail's poor reputation during those lost seven years notwithstanding. **

**Er, I also apologize for not updating my other stories in so long, namely "The Lovely Finale!" as I have cancelled work on "The Falling Darkness." Unfortunately I have only one chapter that is nearly ready for posting; more updates on "The Lovely Finale!" will have to wait (but don't worry, I haven't completely given up on it yet).**

**Anyways, I plan on introducing several more OCs (some plot relevant, others not) and bringing in a number of familiar faces from FT, some of which you might have forgotten or didn't realize existed. **

**Please leave a review, criticisms are welcome! I do plan on editing this chapter on a later date to improve it, as I have a hard time beginning a story and had a really tough time trying to figure out how to start this one. Seriously, I have a few dozen different versions of Chapter 1 cluttering my comp. Until next time! *bows low* Gute Nacht!**


	2. Ch 2: The Monkey King

**Disclaimer:** Hey remember how I said I was only doing this once? Yeah that ain't happening. _Fairy Tail_ belongs to Mashima Hiro, not me! I only own this fanfic, the plot of this fanfic, and every single OC (the good, the bad, and the minor) that makes an appearance in this fanfic.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Monkey King**

For a town located right on the edge of blizzard territory, Lynberg was surprisingly warm.

_At least now I know why she wanted to do this job_, Gray mused. Lynberg, as it turned out, was a town whose most celebrated feature was its hot springs. And while most of the hot spring resorts in Lynberg obviously had separate areas for men and women, _every single_ resort encouraged mixed bathing. Hell, they didn't even need to go into any of the hot spring resorts to find that out; the signs placed conspicuously outside each door was enough to clue them in, claiming that their water would "Bring your hearts closer together!" or "Ignite the burning passion within." It was like none of them had ever heard of subtle advertising before.

As the four mages (five, counting Charle) walked through the town, trying to find the mayor's abode, Gray glanced at the two younger mages who had come along with him and Juvia, wondering about their reaction to this place. At first, they had been awestruck; not many towns had as many hot springs as Lynberg. But it didn't take long before they both were staring down at their feet, red-faced, refusing to even risk a glance in each other's direction. Of course, Charle's scowl was growing deeper with every sign they passed, though she couldn't exactly blame Gray for anything; he had plausible deniability. If anything, Juvia was to blame; in fact, the Water Mage was currently taking note of each and every resort they passed by, trying to figure out which resort would be the best one to visit after completing the job and before returning home. She had taken the reward for the job into consideration, obviously, but that fact that it was in_ Lynberg_ had cinched it.

After a few complications, a couple embarrassed outbursts, and Charle finally insisting that they just ask for directions, the Fairy Tail mages found themselves in Mayor Meyer's sitting room, sinking into a comfortable couch across from where the Mayor sat in his own comfy couch. Gray found himself on the right side of the seat, Juvia seated happily on his left with Romeo on her left next to Wendy, Charle sitting on the young Dragon Slayer's lap. The mages' meeting with Mayor Meyer of Lynberg was an... interesting one. He was a short, pudgy man with a half-ring of gray hair crowning his head, wearing an immaculate blue suit free of creases and wrinkles. Which in itself was a surprise considering the abundance of energy he exhibited. It wasn't his appearance that made the meeting memorable though; it was his unusual manner of speaking.

"Here you are, here you are, at last, and I am most flattered that Magnolia's most famous guild has come to the assistance of my town, that I am, that I am!" Meyer spoke quickly, energetically, and couldn't seem to resist repeating himself in his rush to voice aloud his thoughts. It was fairly entertaining.

_If Natsu-nii or Happy were here_, Romeo thought with a grin, _they'd be dying of laughter right now._ Leaning closer to the Dragon Slayer sitting next to him, the Rainbow Fire Mage whispered, "What do you think, you think of this guy, this guy, Wendy-san?" His grin only widened when he was elbowed sharply in the ribs.

"Romeo-san, don't be rude," she scolded softly, but the severity of her tone was offset by the small smile on her face and her admonition only served to give the boy a warm, pleasant feeling. Charle ignored the two, though her brow was twitching a little. And she was definitely not fighting off the urge to smirk a little. Not at all.

The Mayor didn't seem to notice any of that, and continued babbling away. "I apologize, apologize, but there is one more who must be here, be here. You do not, do not mind at all, yes, yes?"

Gray nodded. "It's fine. We can wait." Though how long was the question; he hoped they wouldn't be kept waiting for too long.

"If Mayor Meyer doesn't mind," Juvia said, "Juvia would like to know who we are waiting for."

"Of course, of course! You see, you see, we are waiting for one of my best men, best man! He is responsible, responsible for helping Lynberg become what it is now, is now! His name, his name is—" The loud _thud_ _thud thud_ of the door knocker striking the door interrupted the mayor and as the footsteps of a servant hurrying to answer the door were heard, Mayor Meyer perked up with a pleased smile that stretched from ear to ear. "Oh, oh! He's here, is here! Mages of Fairy Tail, this is, this is Jore Adymir!"

When the man stepped into the room, the first thing everyone noticed was his physique. Jore (Johr-ee) had muscles that, amazingly, rivalled _Elfman's_ in bulk; his arms, thick as tree trunks, revealed rippling muscles barely contained beneath skin tanned dark. Well, his muscles rivalled Elfman's anyway; his height was more comparable to Levy's. It was an unusual combination to see such bulging muscles on such a short man, but after his physique what really got them was his _hair_. And while the hair on his head was just fine, brown and shortened to a buzz cut, his mustache left their mouths hanging open. Or to be accurate, his mustache _and_ sideburns; his sideburns looped around his face to become one with his mustache, the bristles on his face aligned like a brush.

If they had expected any surprises from his voice, they were in for a disappointment. It resounded deep and low, like the rumbling of the earth itself. "As the Mayor has said, I am Jore. It is an honor to meet you, mages of Fairy Tail," he rumbled, bowing. Recovering from the shock of his appearance, they returned the bow and he took position next to Meyer's seat, politely refusing the offer of a chair of his own to sit in as he stood.

"Now that we are all here," Jore rumbled, his deep voicing reassuring rather than intimidating, "I will tell you more about our request." He glanced at Meyer, who gave him a nod, and began.

"Lynberg may not be as popular as Hosenka as a spa town, but we have a decent tourist trade. Not to mention our waters are famous for their claimed power to bring people's hearts closer together." At this a small scowl appeared on Charle's face as Wendy and Romeo flushed pink, with Juvia sitting rigidly next to an outwardly unaffected Gray. "Unfortunately we have been receiving less business as of late and this is due to Vulcans."

"Which is why you sent out a request to exterminate them," Gray said, receiving a nod from Meyer. The Ice Mage frowned. "But Vulcans normally don't dare attack large towns like this one."

"To be honest, be honest, we don't know why they're here either, either," the Mayor said, shaking his head sadly. "Until a month ago, a month ago we had no trouble with Vulcans, not with Jore here around to fend off the occasional rogue, yes, yes." He flashed a proud smile at Jore, who gave a small, embarrassed smile.

"I am not that magnificent, Mayor. My Earth Magic likely pales in comparison to the magic of our guests here." Jore turned his attention back to the Fairy Tail mages, his smile fading into a concerned frown. "Their attacks are hard to predict, and if they were just in it for food we might have an easier time dealing with them. But for some reason they always come by to steal water from our hot springs."

"The hot springs?" Wendy exclaimed, surprised.

"Didn't you just say you don't know why they're attacking?" Charle pointed out and the Mayor shrugged.

"We do not, do not; we know they steal our water, but not why, not why."

"As a result, most of our visitors have been scared off," Jore continued explaining. "And because word has spread that our hot springs have recently been the target of Vulcan attacks, we see less and less visitors come by with each passing day."

"Do you know where they're coming from?" asked Romeo, his fists clenched tightly in his lap. Wendy cast the boy a confused look, not understanding the reason behind the anger he was radiating, and gently, hesitatingly, reached out and rested her small hand on his. This seemed to do the trick, as he took a deep breath and reigned in his anger, calming himself. _Not now, Romeo; save it for those stupid apes._ The Rainbow Fire mage flashed a thankful grin at the Dragon Slayer; she gave him a relieved smile back before quickly looking away with a faint blush tinting her cheeks.

"Yes. I tracked them to a cave to the northwest; unfortunately there is little I can do about them. The number of footprints the Vulcans left indicate there are a fairly large number of them; more than thirty, even. Such a large number of Vulcans living together in one location is rare and extremely worrying, and there are signs that more are joining them each day." An angry, regretful expression appeared on Jore's face, his body shaking as his fingers twitched in an obvious effort to keep himself from clenching them into fists. "I apologize for not letting you know sooner; I only recently discovered that their numbers were increasing. However, if this continues... we will have to abandon Lynberg."

"As you can imagine, imagine, we don't want to leave, to leave," said Meyer tearfully, dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief. "Most of us, of us lived here back when our town was a small farming community barely surviving, surviving."

"We'll take care of it," Gray reassured them, a determined grin on his face. "Don't worry. We've been in tougher scrapes before."

"T-Thank you!" the Mayor cheered, throwing his hands in the air. Jore simply nodded at them and handed a map to Gray with the Vulcans' lair marked in red.

"Good luck."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I'm still not sure about this."

"Don't worry, Charle. We'll be alright." Wendy turned and smiled at Romeo, who returned it with a grin. "We have Romeo-san, Gray-san, and Juvia-san with us."

"Hmmm." Charle didn't say another word, allowing Wendy to sniff the air carefully, her nose twitching as she tracked the Vulcans' scent. It wasn't an altogether pleasant smell, but even with the blizzard howling around them it was still strong. Whether or not that was a good thing was debatable as Wendy shook her head in a vain effort to clear her nose of the foul stench and pointed. Gray nodded and the group followed her direction, the Ice Mage glancing at the map every once in awhile.

"The map is accurate at least," Gray shouted over the blizzard, barely making himself heard. "We're nearly there!"

"Good!" Romeo pulled his coat closer about himself, looking miserable. "We can warm ourselves up when we beat those stupid apes." Much as the boy admired Natsu, he wasn't as immune to the cold as the Flame Dragon Slayer was no matter how much he wished to be, especially given their current situation; to rub it in, Gray had somehow lost his shirt and jacket somewhere along the way. At least the habitual stripper still had his pants on.

The trek lasted another half hour until they reached the mouth of the cave the Vulcans were using as their hideout. Unfortunately the blizzard hadn't gotten any weaker and Romeo had by this point resorted to his Orange Fire for warmth. Luckily it didn't give off a foul stench like Totomaru's, since he was up front with Wendy and Charle sharing the warmth of his flame. Meanwhile Juvia bravely followed behind Gray, her water carefully set to a low boil; just hot enough to stave off the freezing cold, but not so much as to use up too much of her magical power. She still had steam pouring off her body, however.

"We're here," Wendy announced before rubbing her nose and sniffling. The smell was stronger now that they were just outside the apes' lair, which meant that her nose was subjected to a stench she'd rather not have found out about. Natsu and Gajeel probably would have ignored the scent; they'd been subjected to worse smells. But the combined stink of over forty Vulcan's was enough to send the girl's head reeling.

Actually, it was strong enough that everyone noticed it. Gray wrinkled his nose in disgust as he peered into the mouth of the cave, listening to the hoots and hollers that echoed from further within. "Stay close and stay quiet. They don't know we're here yet; let's use that to our advantage." The others nodded and followed the Ice Mage, Romeo extinguishing his flame as they delved further in. On the bright side, the blizzard didn't penetrate the cave so it was pretty warm inside.

On the other hand, they found out exactly why the Vulcans were stealing hot spring water.

The group peered around the corner of the tunnel exit at the crowd of Vulcans hooting and hollering badly-structured, unintelligible sentences, hopping and dancing about the large, spacious cavern. Jore hadn't been kidding; there really were a lot of Vulcans. Gray estimated their number to be somewhere in the upper fifties, which was still quite a lot but not more than they could probably handle. Scattered about their feet were empty buckets that had obviously been stolen from Lynberg, battered and dented, but that wasn't what had grabbed Juvia's attention as she tugged at Gray's arm and pointed. Romeo, Wendy, and Charle saw what Juvia was gesturing at and were stunned.

Gray had to admit, he had been expected something unexpected but this was definitely the last thing he had expected to see.

Sitting in the middle of the cavern, surrounded by the noisy monster apes, was a giant obelisk of ice. Within it, frozen in an uncomfortably familiar fashion as the great demon Deliora had once been, was a monstrous Vulcan with a terrifying, leering sneer, clothed in tattered patchwork robes. Under its chin they could see a long white goatee curling outward like an oversized snail shell, with a great scar crossing its chest from right shoulder to left hip. The Vulcan toward easily over the other Vulcans, and Gray was glad the beast was frozen.

"Well, now we know why they wanted the water," Charle muttered, her fur standing up on end as she glared at the frozen Vulcan. She didn't like it. There was more to it than it appeared, but no visions would come forth. Yet.

Romeo nodded, his body tense. He was ready to leap out at the Vulcans at a moment's notice, regardless of the giant one enclosed in ice. Noticing his tension once more, Wendy cautiously reached out and put her hand on his shoulder; again the slight pressure of her hand seemed to help the boy calm down, though he was still a bit tense. She couldn't really blame him; all those Vulcans, including the big one, were enough to make anyone wary. Second Origin or not, they might prove tough to beat in such large numbers.

Still, even if the apes had thought up a seemingly smart idea for once, their plan was still pretty stupid. Juvia watched as a Vulcan hefted two buckets full of stolen water and flung their contents onto the ice before dropping the buckets with a happy shout that she didn't understand. The problem was that the trip from Lynberg to the cavern had cooled the water considerably, and instead of melting the ice it poured down it and pooled at the bottom where it began to freeze. Shaking her head, Juvia turned to Gray with a questioning tilt of her head. Right now, she had little issue ignoring Gray's exposed and well-toned chest; they had a job to do and with that her professional side easily took over. "What should we do now, Gray-sama?"

After studying the whooping Vulcans for another minute, Gray smirked and relayed his plan to the other mages...

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

To say the Vulcans weren't excited would be a lie. They had spent so much time dragging that hunk of ice to this cavern, stealing hot water to melt the ice, and then trying other methods to smash the frozen container open, that the thought they were so close to their goal made them giddy. To celebrate, just about every Vulcan in the area near that steamy human place had arrived and were partying like crazy while putting the finishing touches on cracking open the ice. The water hadn't been working as well as they'd hoped, but one of the Vulcans had had an unusually bright idea of using the layer of ice made from the failed attempts to melt the icy obelisk to make it easier to break off chunks of the ice with big rocks.

A Vulcan stepped up holding a rock, carefully balancing on the ice as other Vulcans began to turn him round and round and round. Before long the Vulcan was twirling merrily on the ice and they shoved the big lug forward; using his momentum to add extra power, the Vulcan slammed his rock into the ice block, breaking off a few sizeable chunks and adding another large crack at the same time.

"More! More!"

"Go 'gain! You hitted thing hard!"

"No, me go, me go!"

The Vulcans argued back and forth in their delightfully dimwitted manner of speaking, each one wanting a turn to try and free the Big One. Some of the Vulcans ignored them and continued hammering away at the ice while others egged the arguers on. It probably would have ended in a full-on fistfight if they hadn't been rudely interrupted by the sudden impact of a few dozen spears of ice.

Before the shock of the attack wore off, more Vulcans were taken out by jets of water firing in quick succession, joined by jaw-wrenching fists of Purple Fire. After that the Vulcans stopped arguing and went for their attackers with angry bellows. "Hoomans! They has magics!"

"That's right!" roared Romeo as he leaped eagerly into the fray, purple flaming fists striking Vulcans so hard teeth were flying through the air. "We are mages of Fairy Tail! And don't you forget you damn dirty apes!"

"That kid's got issues," Gray muttered, bringing a fist crashing into his palm. "**Ice Make: Hammer!**" The giant hammer of ice sent a bunch of Vulcans flying, earning them quite a bit of air time before they collided with their brethren attempting to reach the mage. Of course, even if he hadn't done that no Vulcan would have been allowed to get near him anyways.

"You will not touch Gray-sama!" declared Juvia as Vulcans who attempted to hit her discovered (to their great dismay) that fighting her up close and personal was a terrible idea. She barely paid them any mind, trapping them in Water Locks as she focused on blasting away Vulcans that tried attacking Gray while he was distracted by their peers. The apes hooted and howled in pain, nursing angry blisters and burns as they began trying to avoid the Water Mage; hot springs water was hot, yes, but the woman's water was just plain _painful_. They almost preferred the half-naked human's ice attacks.

It didn't take long before some of them decided that the two big humans weren't worth the trouble. Instead, they turned their attention on the smaller human in the belief that he would be easier to deal with.

They weren't exactly wrong; Romeo had less battle experience than Gray and Juvia, was younger, and didn't have the benefit of Second Origin. That didn't make him any less of a threat to the stupid monkeys though.

Solid purple flames formed into fists and clobbered quite a few over the head, while wrapping around some others and slamming them into the ground. Once the Vulcans thought they had his Purple Fire figured out and started evading it, Romeo swapped it out. He could have used Blue Fire but these Vulcans were used to the cold; it'd be like trying to tickle them. The Yellow Fire was a no-go either; Wendy would be affected even worse than the Vulcans. That left his other colors.

Romeo's Orange Fire was the hottest flame he had; the Vulcans found out, to their displeasure, that it was even _worse_ than the water woman's boiling water. Once it stuck to them, it refused to go out no matter how much stopping, dropping, and rolling they tried. All that did was spread the fire around as it stuck to the rocky floor and if a Vulcan got too close the flames would jump onto it and begin burning. It wasn't exactly Romeo's choice of fire, though; he hadn't mastered controlling fire like his teacher Totomaru and once it left his hands he couldn't control the fire all that well. And Orange Fire needed to leave his hands to be truly effective.

Then there was the fact it burned out rather quickly. Once the flames were gone, Romeo found himself facing a bunch of angry Vulcans.

Well, angrier than before.

"**Sky Dragon's Roar!**" Before the Vulcans could enact their vengeance on the boy, a massive blast of wind, like a horizontal hurricane, tore through the horde, sending them flying in every direction. The wind continued on and barreled through the other Vulcans Gray and Juvia had carefully herded together, blowing them around like leaves in a storm. When the powerful gale had died down, the cavern fell into total silence as the four mages observed the fallen Vulcans strewn about everywhere.

"Well, that takes care of that." Gray grinned, relieved. The plan had gone over better than expected. His grin slowly faded into a frown as this registered. Yes, all had gone well; too well. Things never went this well; either there was property damage to pay for or tougher enemies to fight or something. There was always some extra complication on any job taken by a Fairy Tail mage.

Meanwhile, Wendy was staring at the frozen Vulcan, squinting a little as she tried to make out more details. The ice was just clear enough to make out some details, like the beast's appearance, but the lower one looked the blurrier it was, as though the water had been frozen while in motion. And there was a smaller shape near the Vulcan's feet that she couldn't quite make out. "Charle? Do you see that?"

The Exceed nodded, peering into the ice. "Yes, but I'm not sure what that is. If you asked me though, it almost looks like..."

"YOU MINE NOW!" Wendy and Charle whirled around to see a big Vulcan leaping at them from where it had been lying prone on the floor, a greedy sneer on its lips. It wasn't ready to die yet, and the little human would do until it found itself a better body!

Now, while Gray and Juvia were forming their magic to counter the Vulcan before it could Take Over the Sky Dragon Slayer, Romeo was having an issue. He remembered how it felt when his father had taken too long to come back. He remembered how it felt thinking Macao would never return. He remembered his anger once he found out what the final Vulcan had done to Macao. He remembered his despair when he thought he'd never see Natsu or any of the others who had been on Tenrou Island when it vanished.

He remembered the terror he felt when everyone nearly lost their lives six months back.

He was not going to lose _anyone_, not this time, not ever.

"FUCK OFF!" Romeo roared, his anger burning in his eyes. A ball of Red Fire formed in his hand and he flung it at the Vulcan, distracting it. During those precious seconds of distraction Charle quickly grabbed Wendy and flew her to safety, quietly thankful to the Rainbow Fire Mage.

Not that she'd tell him out loud.

Juvia and Gray's attacks reached the Vulcan first, freezing it on the spot. The beast struggled, eyes widening as it saw Romeo's Red Fire getting too close for comfort. "No no! Me sorry! Me sorry!"

"Too late," growled the young mage as his flame reached the monster.

Red Fire was not like Orange Fire, or Purple Fire, or any of the other colored flames. It was never shot out in streams or used to grapple objects. No, Red Fire was only used when one wanted _explosive_ results. Totomaru had warned him constantly not to use it unless he had to; it was notoriously tricky to handle, even for him.

Right now, he wasn't thinking about his teacher's warnings, though. He was more focused on destroying the Vulcan who tried to take Wendy away.

The Red Fire exploded into a gigantic fireball of crimson flames, releasing a shockwave that nearly knocked everyone off their feet. Wendy clapped her hands over her ears, wincing as the sound of the explosion reverberated off the cavern walls, amplifying the sound to a magnitude that even made Gray and Juvia flinch. Romeo's anger hadn't helped, either; it had only served to add more fuel to the magical fire. With a howl the Vulcan vanished in the flames, but not before Gray caught a glimpse of its triumphant smirk.

As the flames died down Romeo tottered unsteadily on his feet, suddenly feeling drained as his anger dissipated with the destruction of the Vulcan. The Red Fire used up a lot of magical power and Romeo hadn't exactly been in the best state of mind to monitor his output when he used it. Before he could collapse Wendy was already at his side, gently guiding him into a sitting position on the cavern floor before casting her Healing Spell to cure his fatigue. As she did so the young Sky Dragon Slayer smiled warmly at the boy, turning his face several shades of red. "Thank you, Romeo-san," she said softly. Romeo just nodded dumbly in return before closing his eyes and allowing himself a small smile.

Wendy was safe, and he had played a significant role in that. That was reason enough for him to smile.

Charle, however, watched them with worry, a growing anxiety gnawing at her heart.

_A tall, lean man with a pompadour shaped like a lightning bolt, unleashing a terrible roar as his skin became mottled with scales, spewing hellish lightning from his maw..._

_Romeo, horribly injured, cradling a too-still Wendy in his arms as he cried out in agony, his rainbow flames melting together into a single monstrous fire of deepest black..._

_Black storm clouds unleashing a fury like none have ever seen, murderous rage in Juvia's eyes as she faced down an unknown opponent in a state of tranquil fury..._

_Darkness, total darkness, a scene void of everything but pure nothingness..._

These visions assaulted the Exceed, unbidden and unwanted. She didn't know which was worse, these new visions or the ones she'd had of the Grand Magic Games. Something was coming; perhaps not threatening on the scale of the previous disaster she'd foreseen, but more terrible on a personal level.

Her mind was brought back to the present by a shout. "Get back!" Gray yelled, bringing his hands together as Juvia helped Romeo and Wendy to safety. "**Ice Make: Lance!**" Dozens of spears formed of ice shot out from the mage's hands, crashing down into the smoke that filled the center of the cavern. Without missing a beat, Gray cast another spell, aiming it towards the smoke once more. "**Ice Make: Cannon!**"

As the cannon's freezing blast shot towards its unseen target, laughter began ringing throughout the cavern. "**Ice Make: Cannon!**" Another blast intercepted Gray's shot, the rounds bursting into shards midair. As the smoke cleared, Charle realized what Gray had been attacking.

The giant Vulcan, easily towering over them far more than standard Vulcans, was free. It wasn't hard to figure out how it had happened, and Romeo looked suitably chagrined to realize his mistake. Wendy interrupted him before he could say anything.

"It's not your fault, Romeo-san. You did it to save me, you didn't mean to set it free."

"Wendy is correct," Juvia added. "And now isn't the time to be blaming anyone, even yourself; we need to help Gray-sama fight it!"

But if they had been expecting a second attack, the Vulcan didn't provide. Instead it gazed around the cavern before looking down at the mages, raising a questioning brow as it stroked its curly goatee. "Would any of you be so kind as to inform me as to our current location? I do not believe I recognize this area; last I recall, I was in a forest. It was pleasantly warm, if a bit humid."

If anything, the way it talked and its refined, smooth voice shocked them more than anything else. Even Romeo, who was about to launch an attack on the big ape, was taken aback and forgot about his dislike of Vulcans for a moment. The Vulcan looked at them with a frown. "Nothing? Quite rude. I would prefer it if—Fairy Tail?" It looked surprised as it took notice of their guild marks, its brow furrowing.

"You are mages of Fairy Tail? Oh dear..." It looked at its feet, still held in a stubborn chunk of ice, and thought for a moment before a smirk appeared on its previously confused face. "Well, this shall not do. Not do at all. I'm afraid... well, actions speak louder than words, yes?" Wrenching its feet free of the ice block, the Vulcan leaped into the air, leering down at them. "Tallyho!"

Shaking his head clear of his confusion, Romeo reacted first. "**Purple Net!**" A rope of Purple Fire shot out at the Vulcan, wrapping around its waist as Romeo made a motion to bring it crashing to the ground. Unfortunately, the Vulcan had other ideas.

"**Ice Make: Lance!**" To their shock, the big ape brought its hands together in the same manner as Gray, unleashing a barrage of icy spears upon them. Gray countered with "**Ice Make: Shield!**" just in time; the two spells clashed and shattered, sparkling ice crystals drifting to the floor like snowflakes.

"How does it know Gray-sama's spells?" Juvia asked, as shocked as the rest of them at this revelation.

"No idea," Gray growled, eyeing the Vulcan warily as it brushed itself off with a smug smirk.

"Perhaps you would allow me to explain?" it said in its unusually refined manner of speaking. "I am not at all like those brutes, my current appearance aside. I am a master of Mimic Magic and, as a show of good faith, I will even allow you the knowledge that I can only cast spells seen with my own two eyes within a certain time range."

"Could you tell us how much time that is?" said Wendy hopefully and the Vulcan shook its head.

"My apologies child, but to allow myself to disclose all of my weaknesses would be a folly in and of itself. Now, let us continue where we have left off! **Purple Net!**" A single, thick rope of Purple Fire arced out from the Vulcan's hand towards the young Dragon Slayer, who was about to counter with her own spell before Charle swooped in. The Vulcan's flame missed Wendy by a narrow margin as Charle lifted the girl into the air, breathing a sigh of relief.

"C-Charle! I was going to be fine, I—"

"Would have given the beast another spell to use against us," Charle interrupted. Wendy's eyes widened in realization as she processed this; the Exceed merely shook her head. "Sometimes I think Natsu and Gajeel are having a bad influence on you, Wendy. That's exactly the sort of thing they would have done."

"No it's not! They... um..." Wendy trailed off, uttering a silent apology to the Dragon Slayers who treated her like their precious little sister; there really was no denying that what Charle said was true.

Meanwhile, they finally found some spells that the Vulcan would have been hard-pressed to try and mimic. Juvia came after the beast with a vengeance, one minute trying to crush it between twin waves and then, when that failed, attempting to run it through with a jet of water that left a hole in the rocky cavern.

"Water Magic! My, my, but I am at quite a disadvantage here," the Vulcan said with amusement in its voice before leaping into a handstand to avoid another of Juvia's watery blasts. It performed a cartwheel over and onto the icy pedestal it had started the battle from, stamping its feet on the ice as it did so. "There are precious few sources of water that I am able to employ in this battle and your ability to liquidize your body makes you a fearsome opponent indeed! It would appear that the, ahem, _flow_ of this match is not quite turning out in my favor as I had hoped! Kudos to you, my dear!"

"Juvia doesn't understand everything you are saying, but thank you." With a wave of her hand, all the water lying in puddles on the cavern floor converged around the surprised Vulcan, trapping it in a Water Lock. "Also, Juvia would appreciate it if you didn't call Juvia 'dear.' Only Gray-sama is allowed to call Juvia that!"

Even while stuck in Juvia's Water Lock the Vulcan managed to give Gray a wink and a sly grin. Gray groaned; even their _enemies_ were getting in on it. "Oi! Don't go giving people the wrong idea!" Unfortunately, the Ice Mage couldn't quite hide how red his face went from his embarrassment; the Vulcan would have laughed if it had the extra oxygen to do so.

Unlike the various people Juvia had trapped in her Water Lock in the past (an act she was admittedly ashamed of whenever she remembered her old guild) the Vulcan didn't struggle and waste air. Instead it seemed rather calm about its situation.

"I don't like this." Romeo watched the Vulcan with suspicion; it was now examining its nails with a bored look. "It's planning something."

"Do not worry," Juvia said with a smile. "It hasn't seen enough of Gray-sama's magic to be able to escape Juvia's Water Lock."

But Wendy shared Romeo's concern. There was something she was forgetting, something that was probably important. Then, when it casually glanced down at the sizeable chunk of ice that remained of its former prison, she remembered. "Wait, but when Charle and I took a closer look at the ice, we saw something!"

"Saw what?" Gray's question went unanswered as a loud _crack_ resounded through the air; he knew that sound well and he soon realized what Wendy meant.

Cracks appeared in the ice, spreading further and further as it spiderwebbed across its surface. Juvia maintained the Water Lock, but the Vulcan had a grin on its face that she didn't like. Not at all.

Suddenly a plume of ice shot upward, peppering the bottom of Juvia's Water Lock with small frozen shards as the still-frozen inhabitant struggled to break free of the remaining ice. With another shatter, more ice broke up and out; Romeo and Wendy tensed, ready to attack as Gray put a hand on Juvia's shoulder. "Whatever you do, don't let the Vulcan escape. It was sealed for a reason; the last thing we need is to fight it and whatever was sealed in with it at the same time."

"Juvia understands, Gray-sama." She gave him a brilliant smile, one that made his heart jump. "Gray-sama can always rely on Juvia."

"Um, y-yeah. Right... thanks." Deciding it would be best not to embarrass himself further, Gray went to stand next to the younger mages as Charle hovered above them, ready to provide whatever support she could. He'd known that she trusted and, well, _liked_ him (he's not Natsu, after all) but, at that moment, he had the suspicion that her feelings towards him ran deeper than he'd originally believed.

That worried him a little, but for reasons he didn't want to think about until he had a chance to relax and think rationally.

The ice block shuddered as a great pressure pushed outward from within, cracking the ice further. A roar echoed throughout the cavern, one that made the Fairy Tail mages' eyes widen at the familiarity of it. _I know this sound!_ Romeo realized. _It's just like..._ He turned wordlessly to look at Wendy, who stared at the frozen remains of the icy obelisk with growing trepidation.

_It's just like a dragon._

Suddenly Juvia's body shuddered as she struggled to maintain control of the sphere of water that encased the Vulcan, who was looking more and more gleeful with each passing second. It was as though another force was attempting to wrest control of her water away from her.

As it so happened, that's almost exactly what happened.

The water was torn from Juvia's control, spiralling down into the ice, consumed by an unseen force. What was once a presence unfelt due to lack of magical power was made known as the water replenished lost energy, the weak power swelling to massive proportions as all the water that had composed the Water Lock was devoured. Wrenching itself free of the remaining water, the Vulcan took a step back and smiled.

"Thank you for your assistance, esteemed mages of Fairy Tail! I know it may be much to ask, but I would like to request a small favor; a 'job' if you will for which the payment is more than any amount of Jewels could cover."

As the ice was completely, utterly shattered, the Vulcan gave the mages a small nod of its head, wings sprouting from its back in mimicry of Charle's Aera Magic.

"Take care of her."

"**Water Dragon's Roar!**" A torrent of water punched through the air, accompanied by a voice far younger and more high-pitched than they'd expected. The attack was aimed not at the mages of Fairy Tail but at the Vulcan, who easily evaded the attack, rising quickly into the air. The jet of water struck the cavern wall, leaving a deep impression in the hard rock, and the Vulcan flew towards the exit.

"By the way, I apologize for not introducing myself! Quite rude of me, really. I am Hanu Manider; I am certain we shall meet again! Ta-ta!" Before they could intercept it, the Vulcan had already escaped, leaving the group alone to face the wrath of an angry, fearsome Dragon Slayer.

A fearsome Dragon Slayer that took one look at them before bawling her eyes out.

**Author's Notes**

**Aaaaaand cut! So there's a new Dragon Slayer, huh? What's Hanu's deal anyway? What do Charle's visions mean? Should Mayor Meyer see a speech therapist? And will Juvia be able to fulfill her main reason for going to Lynberg with Gray? Thanks for reading folks; as always criticisms and other reviews are welcome! Also, it might take a couple weeks for the next chapter; I've got classes and an AMV side project I'm working on. Anyways, stay tuned for the next episode: ****A Night in Lynberg****! *bows low* Gute Nacht!**

**A .Che123****: You're the first reviewer for DA! Congrats! XD And thanks! But even if the beginning was good... it could be better! *w* Heheh, Gruvia and Rowen are only two of my favorite Fairy Tail ships; you can probably catch hints of two or three of the others back in Ch.1.**


	3. Ch 3: A Night in Lynberg

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail does not belong to me. What? Why're you still reading this? Go read the story already!

* * *

**Chapter 3: A Night in Lynberg**

Sure, Gray had expected something unexpected would happen. And sure, Hanu the Vulcan had been pretty unexpected. But of all the unexpected things he thought could happen, meeting a 6/7-year-old Water Dragon Slayer had been the last thing he'd expected to happen.

The worst part was that she was still crying.

Gray was at a loss. Mere moments ago he had been all ready to fight a powerful Dragon Slayer, together with Juvia, Romeo, Wendy, and Charle. And while the Dragon Slayer part seemed to have been fulfilled, the fact that it turned out to be a little girl left him a little deflated. He had certainly bragged before that he would fight anyone, man, woman, or child, but attacking a crying little girl was all kinds of wrong. Dragon Slayer or not, she couldn't be more than a couple years older than Asuka for crying out loud. The Ice Mage looked helplessly at Juvia, who had an expression that mirrored his own. Romeo and Wendy were no better.

In the end, it was Charle who got them moving.

The Exceed landed in front of the girl, looking up at her with paws in her hips as she waited for her wails to subside. It didn't take long for the girl to notice Charle, and her crying quickly faded into confused silence as she looked carefully at the Exceed. They stared at each other for a while longer before Charle's eyes softened, looking at the girl with some concern. "Are you okay?"

The girl's reaction was the same reaction everyone had when meeting an Exceed for the very first time. "A talking cat?!" she exclaimed, quickly wiping her runny nose and tear-streaked face with the back of her hand. This action caused Charle to grimace somewhat, but she quickly schooled her expression into what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Yes, I can talk, just like you. I'm Charle, I'm an Exceed."

"Exceed? Never heard of 'em," the girl replied with a suspicious glare. It wasn't much of a glare, though, more like an adorable squint. Charle chose not to explain to the girl about the Exceed; she had a feeling her words would fall on deaf ears. Instead, she looked carefully at her, noting injuries here and there that had healed rapidly thanks to her having Juvia's Water Lock as a wake-up snack. Her hair was a robin egg blue, hanging loosely just above her shoulders, the girl's bright amber eyes still squint-glaring at the Exceed. She seemed healthy at any rate, considering she might have been in that ice for quite a while, but all the same, Charle didn't want to take any chances.

"Wendy," she called, "come here, please. You too, Romeo." Exchanging confused glances, the two younger mages went over to Charle and the unknown girl, the Exceed gently reassuring her. "Don't worry, they're friends. They're nice people who want to help you feel better."

"I'm Romeo." The Rainbow Fire Mage grinned at the little girl, shoving back the initial shock he had felt upon first laying eyes on the supposed Dragon Slayer. Following Charle's lead was probably the best course of action right now; even if he wasn't entirely sure the girl was a Dragon Slayer, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of that water blast of hers.

Wendy went up to the girl and crouched low enough to meet her eye-to-eye, smiling reassuringly at her. "My name is Wendy," she said, watching out of the corner of her eye as Romeo followed Charle's directions and conjured a fire to help the girl warm up. "What's your name?"

The girl looked at Wendy suspiciously, her nose twitching. Wendy had the distinct feeling her scent was being tested, so she remained still, waiting for the twitching to subside. When Gray and Juvia shook themselves out of their surprise, they joined them and subsequently underwent the sniff-test as well. Gray and Romeo were a bit uncomfortable when the girl went up to them, after finding nothing suspicious about Wendy, and began sniffing, bobbing up and down as she took in their smells, gauging whether they were trustworthy. Once she was done, they both breathed a sigh of relief, Gray silently deciding to find out where the hell the rest of his clothes were on their way back to Lynberg.

And then came Juvia's turn. When the girl took in her scent, what worried Juvia wasn't whether or not she'd pass her test. What worried her was the way the little girl's eyes lit up, smiling so broadly her little dragon-ish fangs were clearly visible.

"Mama!"

"Mama?!" The surprised exclamation was echoed by _everyone_ as the girl tackled Juvia to the ground, holding her in a hug with greater strength than she had expected. Of all of them Juvia was the most confused.

"W-Wait, Juvia isn't your mother! Juvia and Gray-sama haven't—"

"Don't go saying weird stuff!" Gray interrupted hotly, his face burning red. "Okay kid, who are you and why d'ya think she's your mom?"

The girl stopped snuggling further into Juvia's involuntary embrace to give Gray a confused look. "I'm Kaia, and Mama is Kaia's Mama. She smells like Mama, so she must be Mama!"

The simple logic of it couldn't really be refuted, but Wendy stepped in to get her to clarify. "But your mom is a dragon, right? Juvia-san is human."

"Mama says Water Dragons are good at disguises. I saw Mama turn into Kaia once! She promised to teach me how to do it." Kaia turned back to Juvia, her head tilted quizzically to one side. "Right, Mama?"

"Um, Juvia is sorry, but Juvia isn't Kaia's mother," said Juvia, gently prying the girl off of her. By Mavis, if her grip was any tighter she'd need a crowbar. "Juvia is a human, not a dragon."

"B-But..." The crushed look on Kaia's face almost made Juvia take back her words. But from what she knew of the disappearance of Gajeel, Wendy, and Natsu's dragon foster parents, giving the child false hope would be worse. "But you smell like Mama..." The girl's nose began twitching again as she analyzed Juvia's scent once more. After a few tense moments, Kaia's gaze fell to the cavern floor, fresh tears falling onto bruised knees. "Y-You're not Mama... you really aren't Mama..."

Wendy took this opportunity to slowly kneel next to the girl and begin healing her, as well as ask a few questions. "Your name is Kaia, right?"

Kaia sniffled, wiping her eyes and runny nose with the back of her hand as she nodded. "Uh-huh."

"And your Mama is a Water Dragon?"

"Uh-huh."

"Do you know what happened to her?"

"Uh-uh." Kaia shook her head. "I woke up but Mama was gone. I couldn't find Mama anywhere."

"When did she disappear?"

"Um... Mama showed me where to get newspaper. She taught me to read. I got some paper an' it said, um... July 7, X777."

That confirmed it. She was just like her and the other Dragon Slayers. Finished healing, Wendy stood up and helped Kaia to her feet, the little girl no longer crying but still sniffling a little. Juvia stood as well, looking a little uncomfortable.

The group stood there in silence for a moment before Romeo spoke. "We should, well, head back now. Why don't you come with us Kaia?"

She looked at them for a moment, her eyes lingering on Juvia as she nodded.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The meeting with the Mayor and Jore had gone as expected, with them thanking the mages profusely for their aid. None of them made any mention of the big Vulcan Hanu Manidar of course; no need to worry them about a Vulcan who wasn't likely to bother them any time soon. They did raise some questions when they saw Kaia, however.

"A child, child kidnapped from her mother and father by those brutes, those brutes?!" Mayor Meyer exclaimed, his eyes widening in horror. Jore's eyes narrowed.

"Do you know where she is from?"

Before Kaia could answer the question herself, Gray spoke first. "No, unfortunately. We were actually planning on bringing her back to the guild with us; she'll be safe there while we look for her parents."

Jore nodded in acceptance of his answer as Meyer breathed a sigh of relief. "Very good, very good, you Fairy Tail mages certainly are kind, very kind! Now, your reward, the reward..." The plump old man dug deep into his pockets, frowning as he searched for whatever he was trying to find. After pulling out a set of keys, a 100,000 J wad of bills, a white handkerchief, a pack of tissues, a gold pocket watch, a pair of metal therapy balls, a small collection of pocket lint, and a handful of loose change, he finally found it.

"Here it is, here it is!" The Mayor brandished four slips of paper, beaming at them as he handed them out. "A special ticket, special ticket for our heroes, great heroes!"

"You can use them at any of our resorts for a free one-night stay, including use of all the facilities," Jore clarified, adding, "Most of the resorts here allow children under ten to stay for free. Only up to about a week, usually, but I don't think you'll be wearing out your welcome that soon."

"And the rest, the rest of your payment will be given to you tomorrow morning, when you depart, you depart," the Mayor said, as though reassuring them that the ticket wasn't the only reward they would be getting.

"Thank you," said Gray, bowing politely, the others mimicking his action. Amusingly even Kaia bowed, complete with a puzzled look. She didn't quite know why they were bowing, but her Mama always said if you don't know what to do, be as polite as those around you. She even shook Meyer and Jore's hands at the conclusion of the meeting, her nose twitching as she did so.

They smelled nice; one had a hint of roasted ham and the other smelled like the kind of mud she liked to splash around in.

But the blue woman still smelled nicer than them by a longshot.

After leaving the Mayor's mansion, the Fairy Tail mages plus Kaia examined the tickets closely. They were printed on thin, crinkly paper with a fancy gold border, the words "SPECIAL TICKET" printed large and bold in the center. On the back of each one was Mayor Meyer's personal signature; the fact that there were no details about what the ticket offered printed on it meant that all the hot spring resorts knew about what owning the ticket entailed.

"Well, since we have these, might as well use 'em, right?" Romeo said, giving his ticket a nonchalant wave.

Juvia nodded frantically, her eyes wide in excitement. "Juvia agrees! It would be rude to ignore the Mayor's hospitality! Gray-sama agrees too, yes?"

"Yeah, I guess," Gray replied, giving a noncommittal shrug.

"U-Um..." Wendy looked at her ticket, then at Charle. "But we only have four tickets, and I'm not sure if Charle will be allowed."

"I may be an Exceed, but for all Earthland is concerned, I'm just a cat. Even if I'm not a normal one," Charle added. "I don't mind having to pay for my own ticket, though. Wherever we go anyways. Besides," she scowled, "you are not going into any resort without me."

_Because I want to keep an eye on Wendy_ was the unspoken sentiment, but everyone save Kaia picked up on that.

Speaking of Kaia, she actually gave them a good plan, even if Charle objected to it. "Do this!" the girl proclaimed, suddenly picking up Charle and holding her like a stuffed animal. This unexpected action caused Charle to stiffen in surprise, which served to add to the effect. "Then we can all go an' no paying!"

"Wha-we can't do that!" Charle protested once the shock wore off, trying to wriggle free of the girl's grip. Seriously, even if Kaia was holding Charle gently, she just would not let go of the cat.

Kaia gave Charle a confused look. "Why not?"

Before Charle could begin her argument, Wendy quickly intervened. "I think it's a good idea, Charle. And they might not let a... a cat buy a ticket anyways."

"Natsu-nii told me that they snuck Happy in last time they went to a spa," Romeo helpfully added. Gray frowned.

"Last time? We didn't need to sneak him in last time we went to one."

"It was after a job in some other town, a few weeks after the Grand Magic Games," Romeo explained, grinning. "Apparently they had a rule against bringing in 'pets' and they counted Happy as a pet. Lucy-nee said that would be the last time she went to a resort with them; they got kicked out because Natsu-nii and Happy were causing a ruckus with the other guests."

"Lucy and Flame Brain alone at a hot springs resort together? Heh, maybe I should tell Mira about that," Gray said with a smirk.

"They weren't exactly alone; Blue Cat was there with them," Charle reminded him. Gray's smirk wasn't affected in the least, though.

Seeing as Charle had little argument left against Kaia's idea (she still refused to act like a toy the whole way there; only when they entered the resort) the group went about Lynberg to pick a resort to use their tickets on. Juvia continued trying to pick ones with signs loudly advertising that a night in their hot spring would "Kindle the blazing flames of passion!" (there were several variations of this being tossed around, some trying to sound more impressive than the others), but Charle would have none of that; not only because of Romeo and Wendy, whose faces burned crimson whenever Juvia pointed out another of those resorts, but because they now had Kaia with them.

The inn they finally chose was a modest resort that offered the typical accommodations, and the special ticket even gave the mages free access to their all-you-can-eat buffet. Not that they really figured they'd be needing to eat excessive amounts of food, but it was a nice bonus nevertheless. Then they found out that the inn gave guests personal, private hot springs for their usage. Naturally, Juvia was ecstatic, but her excitement cooled down when she remembered Romeo and Wendy... and Kaia.

"So me and Romeo will take one," Gray pointed at the entrance for one changing room, "and you, Wendy, Charle, and Kaia will take the other. You okay with that, Juvia?"

The Water Mage nodded, masking her disappointment with a smile. If the situation had been different, she could probably have convinced Charle to let her and Gray take one for them to privately share. But with Kaia, with whom Charle started taking on a protective edge similar to the one she had with Wendy, she had little choice but to concede. There was also the fact that Kaia seemed to be more comfortable around Juvia than the others.

And maybe this way she could help Gray-sama work on their secondary objective.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Ahhhh." Gray let out a contented sigh as he slipped into the naturally-heated water, leaning back against the side. The battle with the Vulcans hadn't been all that harsh, but the battle with Hanu plus the long trek to and from the Vulcan lair had been tiring. So relaxing in a hot spring felt really good right now.

Still, he grinned at the way Romeo fidgeted, noticing the boy's glances at the wooden partition that served as a flimsy barrier between this bath and the one right next door. "Hey, you wanna have a look? I'm sure they wouldn't notice," he teased.

"W-W-What?! N-No, I'm good!" Romeo nearly shouted before remembering to keep his voice down. He _really_ didn't want the girls to overhear him and cause a misunderstanding. And even if he did agree, if they were caught he'd probably never be able to go on a job with Wendy ever again.

Oddly enough, being alone with Gray in an open-air hot spring didn't make him all that uncomfortable. Maybe it was because he was used to seeing the man prancing about in the nude, thanks to the stripper's, well, stripping habits (though being used to it probably wasn't a good thing). "Besides, Kaia's there."

"Huh. That's true." They fell silent, each of them content on simply relaxing. Romeo had to admit that he didn't know what to say to Gray anyways. He never really hung around the Ice Mage that much, whether before the lost years or after. In fact, he'd been honestly surprised when Gray had offered to let Romeo and Wendy accompany him and Juvia on the Vulcan hunting job. Not that he wasn't grateful, of course.

"Hey, Gray-san?"

"Hm?"

"Why'd you let me and Wendy come with you and Juvia-san?"

Gray looked at Romeo carefully for a moment before sighing with a grin. "Should've figured this would come up. Well, I'll be honest; you know how Mira's been taking bets?"

"Yeah?" Romeo had put down a couple wagers himself with the Demon Barmaid not too long ago, and he was beginning to have an idea to what Gray was talking about.

"You and Wendy are on the list, I made a bet on when you two would get together," Romeo's ensuing groan elicited a laugh from the Ice Mage, "and I suspect Juvia has, too."

"Great," Romeo said glumly, sinking deeper into the pool. "Of all things, now the most anticipated couple in our guild is trying to set us up."

Gray chose to ignore the "couple" comment. "Hey, even if it weren't for that, I saw your face when Juvia grabbed the flyer before you did. I'm not Flame Brain—thank _god_ for that—but I know what it's like to want revenge." He sighed, looking up at the night sky, wisps of steam drifting upwards toward the stars. "Too well."

"It's not really that," said Romeo, brow furrowed. "It's more like... I almost lost Dad to a bunch of stupid Vulcans eight years ago—you remember that, right?" When Gray nodded, Romeo continued. "Mom left us when I was really little, so Dad's the only family I've got. Besides the rest of Fairy Tail, I mean," he added, smiling. "So even though he came back, I'm still... I don't know how to describe it. I just don't like Vulcans."

"No one does," Gray remarked drily, earning a laugh from the boy.

"Not like that. It's a bit... more, I guess? I dunno." The two mages fell silent, a _doink_ heard somewhere in the distance. "I just _really_ don't like Vulcans."

"And did you get it out of your system?"

Romeo considered this for a moment. "Well... sort of. I guess, yeah. I think blowing up that last one kinda helped," he added, grinning.

"And Wendy probably admires you now, huh?" Gray said, a teasing grin on his face as Romeo sputtered incoherently, his face flushed red.

"W-We're just friends! There isn't anything more than that!"

"Yeah, yeah," the Ice Mage laughed, reaching over and ruffling the boy's hair. "Still, saving her like that didn't hurt your chances."

"She's usually the one saving me," Romeo said, his face still red. "We've got a lot of powerful women in our guild, don't we?"

"That's true." Gray had to admit the boy had a point. Though the gender ratios had been balanced somewhat by the influx of new members, that didn't change the fact that some of Fairy Tail's most powerful members were women. Not that he minded, but Erza was terrifying and Mira was... well, she wasn't called Demon Mirajane for nothing. And plenty of the new members showed potential to become just as terrifying.

"Like a certain Water Mage," the boy added. The look on Gray's face when he said this was priceless. "She's pretty strong, and really pretty too."

"Okay, I probably deserve that for teasing you, but _damn_ Romeo! Are you getting on my case, too?!"

"She's not exactly subtle about how much she likes you," Romeo pointed out.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm sure how I feel about _her_," Gray muttered.

"Then you wouldn't mind if she went out with Lyon-san?"

"Who told you about that?!"

"Lucy-nee. And everything that happened at the Grand Magic Games. Oh, and Cana-nee."

Gray groaned. "I'd prefer it if he kept his distance."

"Okay... so you don't _like_ like Juvia-san?"

He nodded warily.

"But you don't want her going out with anyone else?"

"Well if you put it that way..."

"Cana-nee is right. You're as bad as Loke-nii was."

"Wait, she compared me to _him_?!" This comparison annoyed Gray. Don't get him wrong, he liked the guy just fine. He just didn't want _his_ lovelife compared to that playboy's mess of relationships! "Look, it's not that I don't _like _like Juvia. I like her just fine. It's... I'm just not sure if I'm _in love_ with her."

They were silent for a while after that, until Romeo spoke up with a sigh, slipping deeper into the hot water.

"Natsu-nii and Gajeel-san have it easier than we do, don't they?"

Gray snorted. "I dunno about the Flame Brain, but Gajeel probably does."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Wait! Kaia! Come back!" Wendy shouted frantically, desperately clutching a towel in a vain effort to hide her slim figure as she chased the girl, who was currently streaking straight towards the hot spring. As inviting as the pool looked, Wendy knew that certain customs needed to be followed first. Apparently Kaia's Mama never taught her those customs though. _Were all Dragon Slayers like this? I don't think I was._ "You can't go in yet!"

To her immense relief, Kaia stopped just as she was crouching to leap into the spring, a quizzical expression on her face. "Why?"

"B-Because you have to wash yourself before you get in!"

"Why?"

At that point Charle entered, her tiny form wrapped in a large hand towel; it was the smallest towel they (as in the inn staff; while they saw through the attempted disguise, they were gracious enough to let her in without paying, acting as though she possessed a Special Ticket as well) could find, as sentient cats weren't exactly part of the inn's usual clientele. "It's called proper etiquette, young lady. So long as you have a single speck of dirt on your body you can't enter the water."

Kaia thought about this for a moment, then stuck her tongue out. "That's ssssstupid!" Before Wendy and Charle could reach her, or even comment on the way she hissed the S, Kaia had already leapt into the air, ignoring all and any form of proper hot spring etiquette in exchange for instant gratification. Unfortunately for her she never got to touch the water; the steam in the air condensed into a Water Lock that closed in on Kaia, leaving her head exposed as she was pulled back. Naturally Kaia tried eating her way out, but there was enough steam in the air to replenish the small sphere of water until it reached its destination. There was also the little issue of how awkward it was trying to tilt her head down enough to eat the water even as it pushed back up against her chin.

Releasing the spell when the girl reached her, Juvia caught Kaia and pinned her against her towelled form, shaking her head at the girl. "Kaia has to be washed clean before she can get in. All of us have to, even Juvia."

"But why?" the girl said, sounding more like she was pouting than asking. Ignoring the little Dragon Slayer's question, Juvia went over to the bathing stations and plopped the girl down on a stool. With bemused smiles, Wendy and Charle joined them.

Despite the girl's protests, Juvia began the process of giving her a proper washing. Wendy watched as she bathed herself, pausing the process of rinsing off the suds to compliment the Water Mage. "You just subdued a Dragon Slayer, Juvia-san."

At this Juvia smiled, even as Kaia struggled to avoid the soap. Her protests of "I'mma clean already!" fell on deaf ears as the woman determinedly scrubbed away the dirt on her skin. Ye _God_, there was enough dirt to make a small hill. Or grow a forest. "Kaia is a still a child, even if she is a Dragon Slayer. When Juvia was younger, she washed her little brother like this, too. He didn't complain nearly as loud, though."

Wendy stared, surprised clearly etched on her face as she accidentally sprayed Charle with the showerhead; luckily the Exceed needed a rinse, but the suddenness of it still bowled her over. "You have a little brother?"

Juvia nodded, firmly locking a soapy-but-still-struggling Kaia into placed with mini Water Locks she referred to as "Water Cuffs" as she put the soap down and reached for the shower head. "Juvia does. Or did. Juvia hasn't seen her little brother in years." A nostalgic look came into her eyes as she turned the shower head on and aimed it at Kaia, who proceeded to try eat the water before it reached her. Naturally this failed and she got rinsed off anyway, sputtering indignantly. "Many, many years."

Wendy was silent as she and Charle followed Juvia to the hot spring once they had all properly washed themselves, an excited Kaia—exuberant from her freedom but still wincing from the harsh scrubbing—leading the way. It occurred to her that neither she nor anyone else in Fairy Tail save Gajeel really knew much about Juvia. Oh sure, she knew how Juvia and Gajeel came to join Fairy Tail, but Juvia had never said anything about her pre-Phantom Lord days. Well, not that Wendy had had the opportunity to talk to her all that often, but she remembered Nenetl once complaining (more than once, to be honest) that Juvia only answered questions about Gray and not a single one pertaining to her backstory (which Net claimed _everyone_ had to have, despite claiming her own history was not anything worth hearing about; Verity called her out on this).

After they somehow managed to convince Kaia not to cannonball into the hot spring, all four of them slid gratefully into the water, letting out content and happy sighs. All that trudging around in the snow during the past couple days was washed away by the soothingly hot water; Juvia was careful not to relax _too_ much, but she was as relaxed as the rest of them all the same. Even Kaia's hyperactive attitude cooled off as she placed herself in the center of the hot spring, the most heated part of the little pool, sinking in until the lower half of her head was submerged beneath the surface. She blew little bubbles in the water as she lazily closed her eyes, looking ready to take a nap at any moment.

"Kaia won't fall asleep, will she?" Juvia asked Wendy quietly. The Sky Dragon Slayer shook her head, then smiled and shrugged.

"I'm not really sure, Juvia-san. I've never met a Water Dragon Slayer before, let alone a Water Dragon."

"Juvia understands," was Juvia's reply as she watched the little girl, who had begun to spin in slow, lazy circles, still blowing bubbles all the while. "Juvia is amazed that Kaia trusts us so easily now. She seemed very suspicious when we met her."

"I think part of that is thanks to you," Charle said, her towel neatly folded atop her head. It made for a comical sight, seeing only Charle's head out of the water, but no one commented; Kaia probably would have if she wasn't so focused on the alluring warmth she found herself submerged in. "She knows you are not her mother, but her first impression of you seems to have stuck. And since she didn't find anything suspicious about us and we've been treating her kindly, there really isn't any reason for Kaia to not trust us."

Juvia reacted to Charle's words with an embarrassed silence, her face coloring as she mimicked Kaia and sunk into the water until only her head remained. "J-Juvia doesn't... she isn't... It wouldn't be much different if Juvia hadn't been there," she mumbled, her face growing redder.

"I don't know about that," Wendy said, smiling. "But either way, she likes us and that's what matters."

"Y-Yeah..."

For a while afterwards, they sat in comfortable silence, only broken by the occasional _doink_ from somewhere in the distance. Kaia had migrated away from the center of the pool, seeking less-warm waters as she drifted towards the edge of the spring opposite of Juvia, Wendy, and Charle, but was still pretty calm aside from the bubbles she was consistently blowing beneath the water's surface.

And then Wendy noticed the water level was dropping.

It really didn't take much to guess who was behind it.

"Kaia! Stop that!" Wendy cried out, hastily splashing her way across the spring to the little girl. While she was on the other side, trying to explain to Kaia why she shouldn't eat the water and why she should wait until later to eat, Charle looked at Juvia with a serious expression.

"Juvia-san."

Juvia blinked, confused and wondering if she might have done something to offend the cat. "Y-Yes?"

"I know you and Gray invited Wendy and Romeo on this job to try and push their relationship forward... or shove it forward, more like," she said, a hint of disapproval in her tone. "You made wagers concerning when their relationship will culminate in something more romantic and less platonic, correct?"

Juvia could only nod; she had little experience with Exceed (discounting Lily, who was almost always around whenever she felt like chatting with Gajeel) but as far as being fools went, Happy seemed to be the exception, not the rule. "But Juvia and Gray-sama wouldn't force them into that kind of position for only money. Juvia honestly thinks that Wendy-san and Romeo-san are a good match, especially after Juvia saw how Romeo-san saved Wendy-san."

Her response was met with silence for a moment before Charle spoke. "To be honest... I do approve of the boy." The white Exceed's eyes softened, a hint of a smile breaking her otherwise serious expression. "Wendy cares about him a lot, too. If it weren't for being trapped in time for seven years, this might not have happened. Or at least not happened so soon." Shaking her head, her smile more apparent, she then shot a small, light glare at the Water Mage.

"However, as it stands right now they are only friends. Close friends that are growing closer each day, but still only friends nonetheless. I would rather they be allowed time to develop their feelings, rather than anyone meddling and rushing things for them. I want them to decide for themselves if they have feelings towards each other, should the time come."

"Juvia understands and respects your wishes," Juvia said, smiling. "And Juvia will do what she can to prevent anyone from trying to meddle. Though it may be difficult convincing Mira-san to give up playing matchmaker for Wendy-san and Romeo-san."

Charle sighed. "That's true."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

At that moment, Mirajane wrinkled her nose, feeling the severe urge to sneeze.

Unfortunately, considering her current situation, now was not the best time for distractions.

"_This_ is the power of the beautiful Mirajane Strauss? No wonder you couldn't protect your brother and sister."

Mirajane glared at the mage, her Satan Soul falling away as she collapsed to her knees. Normally she resisted the urge for the sort of foul language she once used freely when she was younger, but right now Mirajane had little other way to express her anger. "_Fuck you_."

She should have been more careful. The job had gone well, exceedingly so, and the Take Over Siblings had proven their strength to those who thought Fairy Tail's success at the GMG had been a fluke. It was afterwards that things went wrong, very very wrong.

They had let their guard down and been ambushed. Not by bandits or some Dark Guild seeking revenge. No, they had been ambushed by two mages, sisters who specialized in Toxic Magic and had succeeded in poisoning them before they realized what was wrong. Elfman and Lisanna had collapsed first; thankfully they were still breathing, but their breath was faint, frightfully so. Mirajane was able to use Satan Soul to resist the poison, but it had already taken hold within her body. As a result, she had been unable to fight at her fullest, unlike her opponent who had mercilessly beat her, using her magic to aggravate the poison spreading through Mira's veins.

The older sister, a rather pretty teenager with deceivingly sweet green eyes and long, curly strawberry blonde hair, leered down at Mirajane with a pleased smile, like a girl being presented with a wonderful gift from her boyfriend. Cute, if not for the real reason for her expression. "Aw, such _harsh_ language! Definitely not ladylike at all. Tut tut."

She leaned down and gently placed her fingers under Mirajane's chin, lifting her head up. "Didn't your mother teach you not to use such dirty words? Perhaps you need a lesson, hm?" The girl's other hand flickered with a sickly green glow, and she lightly traced a finger down Mirajane's cheek.

An explosion of pain had Mirajane clench her jaw firmly shut, glaring defiantly at the sadistic girl; she was _not_ going to give her the satisfaction of screaming. Nevertheless, her defiant look seemed to be enough to make the girl's smile widen.

"Oh-_ho_, aren't you the stubborn one... I like that." She began tracing a circle on Mirajane's cheek, watching gleefully as Mirajane struggled to resist the pain. Hungrily, the girl eyed Mirajane's soft, pink lips. "I like that _a lot_."

"Nee-sama." From where she knelt by Elfman and Lisanna's prone forms, the younger sister spoke. She looked a year or two younger than Lisanna, and just as pretty as her sister but with dirty blonde tresses cut just below her shoulders and emerald eyes that lacked the sadistic gleam of her elder sibling. "Remember the mission."

"Oh right, right." With an annoyed sigh the older girl released Mirajane and stood, still leering at the barmaid. "You must admit, it was a fun diversion, though."

"Our mission did not concern them. Your acts were completely unnecessary."

"Oh poo. Don't be a spoilsport, Charity. How many people get to say they took down Demon Mirajane herself?"

"You know I'm right, Mercy-neesama."

"Fine, I'll concede the point," Mercy huffed, stretching. "But it's not everyday you happen to run into one of Fairy Tail's strongest mages, you know. Hey, maybe we'll run into the Titania Erza Scarlet next! Or Mystogan, that guy looked strong, though I'm not really into the whole 'mysterious guy' image he's got going on. Or Laxus Dreyar, he's kinda hot, don't you think? Oh oh, what about Gildarts Clive? I know Master said to avoid him, but still!" As she walked away, still chatting, Charity went over to Mirajane's side, her hands enveloped in a dark violet glow. Laying her hands on Mirajane's shoulders, Charity gently pushed her into a lying position on the ground, heedless of the rocks that dug into Mira's back. The glow spread from the girl's hands until it enveloped Mirajane completely, extracting the toxin from her body.

"This will be quick. But afterwards, do not move for at least an hour. Your siblings will be fine; they will not wake until well after that time." Getting to her feet, Charity followed her sister, looking back with one last comment. "Do not feel bad. You are powerful and you love your siblings. I understand that. But should we meet again, I will be unable to use my magic to alleviate the damage my sister will cause."

Mirajane bit back a retort, lying still as she felt the poison leaving her system. She had been careless. Her carelessness had nearly cost Elfman and Lisanna their lives, if not for Charity's mercy. Mirajane knew from fighting her that Mercy was not all that powerful physically; hell, if she hadn't been poisoned she would've knocked the girl out with a single blow. But that was the problem. _She had been poisoned_. She wasn't sure what kind of poison it had been, but it had severely hampered her physically, draining her stamina.

And using magic had only worsened her condition.

But she knew that, once she and her siblings recovered, they had to get back to Fairy Tail and report to Makarov immediately. He needed to know, so he could warn the right people.

Because during the seven years Fairy Tail had been gone, the absence of the Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart and the mysterious destruction of Tartaros had left a void other Dark Guilds were eager to fill. That had caused a small war that wiped plenty of Dark Guilds off the map.

But one had managed to climb its way to the top, standing on a peak built of blood and broken bodies. It revealed itself after the conclusion of the Grand Magic Games, managing to kill two of the members of the Magic Council to the shock of everyone in Fiore.

They were currently the most wanted Dark Guild in the country.

It was said that if you killed a member of their guild, two more would take their place and avenge their death.

To spill their blood was to invite destruction to all you loved.

They were Hydra Fang.

Mirajane didn't know what sort of mission the sisters had, but running into them meant that Hydra Fang was on the move again, planning something.

Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

**Author's Notes**

**Whew! This was a doozy. And it was hard for me to write the part with Mirajane and the Toxic Sisters. And interaction with Gray and Romeo since I had little to go off of. Urgh. Okay, so, next chapter will take a while, too. Maybe longer than this one. As always, criticism and reviews are appreciated! Stay tuned! *bows low* Gute Nacht!**

**Missjennifer54: Yay for Gruvia! XD But I hope they aren't the only reason you're reading. =P I'm gonna have quite a number of pairings here, maybe even a Canon/OC pairing or two (but mostly Canon/Canon), so stay tuned! If you please. X)**


	4. Ch 4: Draconian Interactions

**Disclaimer:**Blah bluh blah Fairy Tail isn't mine blah blah blah bluh

* * *

**Chapter 4: Draconic Interactions**

"So how did your job go, Lucy-san?"

"Pretty well, until Natsu nearly burned down the entire forest," Lucy sighed, rubbing her forehead. Kinana nodded sympathetically as Cana laughed, setting her barrel of alcohol down next to her. Lucy, Natsu, and Happy had returned from their job the previous day, looking none the worse for the wear, despite the job having been about finding a lost "pet." In hindsight, Lucy should have guessed that Natsu wouldn't have picked anything as tame as a "Lost Pet" job if the reward hadn't been considerable, which usually entailed other troubles. "I'm still not sure how a _Lizardman_ counts as a pet, much less why anyone would want to keep one."

"Those with less developed thought-processing power are considered adorable and are said to be easy to train," Fairy Tail's resident Wood-Make Mage Laki Olietta offered as she approached the bar, a quiet Rosa trailing behind her. Whether she noticed her was debatable as she continued, adjusting her glasses. "I've heard they've recently become popular with nobles."

Lucy groaned, banging her head against the counter. "I bet I know why."

"It's probably because of the Grand Magic Games," Rosa piped up softly, causing Laki to whirl around, startled. "The Dragon Slayers looked really cool." Realizing that their attention was on her, Rosa's face colored and she looked up at what was presumably a very interesting spot on one of the wooden beams above. "T-They probably think having a Lizardman is like having their own mini-Dragon Slayer."

Cana roared with laughter, the sudden noise causing the girl to flinch. "A Lizardman ain't _nothing_ like a Dragon Slayer! You've gotta be an idiot to think that!"

With that comment they all turned at looked at where a group of Fairy Tail mages were crowding around a table, swapping bets and cheering hoarsely at the two combatants locked in an epic struggle of Arm Wrestling. Mixed in with the crowd was Levy with a bemused look on her face, her nose buried in a book as usual but her eyes constantly straying to the Iron Dragon Slayer currently trying to wrench Natsu's flame-covered arm off, Lily sitting in her lap with the same expression as he watched his partner's iron-scaled arm straining in effort to claim victory over the Flame Brain. Jet and Droy were nowhere to be seen, but Lucy had little doubt that they were sulking in a corner somewhere.

Natsu wasn't having any easier a time trying to make the Ironhead admit defeat; the two were locked firmly in a draw, bearing maniacal grins as they sweat and grunted with effort, swapping insults good-naturedly (or so Lucy hoped was good-natured) as Erza refereed. The Requip Mage wasn't really keeping an eye out for cheating; she was there to make sure they didn't suddenly start a brawl and wreck the guild hall again. Besides, neither of them were likely to cheat, not with their pride on the line.

"What's wrong, knucklehead? This is barely a challenge! Gihi!"

"Huh, you say something metal-face? I can't hear you over the sound of your whining!"

The table groaned as the two Dragon Slayers increased the pressure, determined to prove who was the dominant one in their testosterone-fueled test of wills. From a nearby table, Happy cheered Natsu on while simultaneously attempting to get Coral to join in.

"C'mon, you gotta cheer too!"

With a yawn, the lazy Exceed cracked one eye open, giving Happy a sleepy, questioning stare. "Why?"

"Because Natsu's gonna win!"

Without another word Coral turned away and continued her nap, curling into a small grey ball. Happy didn't notice, as Natsu had managed to shift Gajeel's arm about an inch. It didn't take long for the Iron Dragon Slayer to even out the score, however; Happy redoubled his cheers, though it was hard to say if he could be heard over the crowd surrounding them.

Lucy sighed. "I don't know about that, Cana. They might not be as strong as Dragon Slayers, but they're probably smarter than those two." She giggled. "Speaking of Dragon Slayers..."

"Y-Yes...?" Kinana tensed, worried about the question she knew was coming.

"I got a letter from Yukino; apparently Rogue's been acting a little off. Every time a guy talks to her, he looks like he wants to strangle someone." Lucy giggled again, smirking.

Kinana relaxed, letting out a quiet sigh. "He sounds like he's being protective of her."

"Yeah, but Yukino says he only acts that way if it's a guy from their guild; even Sting's been snapped at. Otherwise he's only like that if someone flirts with her."

With a snort, Cana quickly downed a large gulp of alcohol, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Well it ain't like everyone in Sabertooth's gonna change so fast; it's only been six months since they kicked that bitch Minerva out. Can't blame the guy for being protective."

After the Grand Magic Games, Sabertooth had undergone a big change. With Minerva exiled and Jiemma dead, the guild had needed a new Master and Makarov had helpfully recommended one: one of the Ten Wizard Saints, "Beast King" Rillian Jager. She had only recently received the honor of the title of Saint, but Makarov had heard enough about her from Mirajane and Elfman to be certain of his decision. Tracking her down had taken some doing; the Strauss siblings' former teacher was an independent mage bitten by a particularly bad travel bug and the only reason she hadn't received the title sooner was because she was so hard to contact. But she had accepted being Sabertooth's Master on the condition that it was only a temporary thing; once she found a suitable candidate from Sabertooth's ranks, Rillian would step down and continue her travels.

Of course not everyone agreed with her becoming their Guild Master or the changes she brought, even if temporary. Sabertooth had lost quite a number of members, but those who stayed found a stern taskmaster in Rillian. She knew and understood Jiemma's belief in what it meant to be the strongest guild, but tossed that aside in favor of strengthening their bonds and encouraging friendship. To start, she invited Yukino back to the guild and told the others that though the fault lay entirely on their former Guild Master's shoulders, they should still find a way to make up for their indirect compliance in shaming her. And whatever Rogue had done to apologize, he and the Celestial Mage were now an item and actively trying to help Rillian change their guild's ways.

Yukino had made sure to stay in touch; Rogue may be a good boyfriend, but Lucy was the closest female friend she had. The both of them being Celestial Mages helped.

"I don't know, Cana; from what Mira told me, the threat of bringing down Rillian's wrath on them is probably enough to keep anyone from trying anything."

"You'd be surprised what idiots think they can get away with," Cana remarked drily. "Just look at Natsu. 'Sides, guys like being protective of their gals, even if they can protect themselves just fine. It's a male ego thing; you'd know if you ever had a boyfriend of your own, Lucy."

"I can already tell where this is going, and no, it's not like that," Lucy said with a frown, glaring at the Card Mage as Laki and Kinana rolled their eyes. Rosa merely looked bashfully amused. Absolutely no one was convinced by her denial, especially since Cana hadn't even said anything yet. "Natsu is as protective of me as he is of any of his friends. There's nothing more to it."

"Someday you will expose the depths of your hidden hearts for each other," Laki said with a smile, sounding certain of her words. "Everyone can see it."

"What about Lisanna-san?" Kinana asked. "If I remember correctly, quite a few wagers have been made in Lisanna-san's favor."

"Well no offense to the girl, but I think Natsu's more interested in little ol' Lucy now," Cana said, grinning as Lucy groaned. "And it looks like Lisanna's given up on him, too. They're great friends, but nothin' really more than that now."

"Is she interested in anyone else now?" Rosa asked and Cana shrugged.

"Dunno. Mira probably knows, but she ain't saying anything for once."

Lucy was going to ask a question of her own, but the girls' gossip was interrupted by the sound of the guild's large doors opening to allow entry. Everyone's heads turned and greeted the returnees as they entered; Gajeel even tried to take advantage of Natsu's distraction, at least until the Fire Dragon Slayer remembered what he was doing and brought it back down to a draw.

"We're back!" Alzack cheerfully announced as he and his family stepped through the doorway, a giggly Asuka riding atop his shoulders waving the tiny cork pistol in her hand. Smiling, Bisca reached up and adjusted Asuka's aim so that she wouldn't accidentally shoot her daddy's ear; cork or not, a gun was a gun and they didn't want her to develop too many bad habits so early.

"Welcome back," called out Kinana, noticing a familiarly goofy-looking hat emerging from the Master's Office from the corner of her eye. Take Over Magic and barmaid duties weren't all that Mirajane was teaching her. "How was the job?"

"Not bad," Bisca said, removing Asuka from Alzack's shoulders and setting her down at the little girl's insistence. "We even went to the zoo afterwards; Asuka loved it, she didn't want to leave even when it was almost closing time."

"Well, you've always loved animals Bisca; I'm not surprised that you've rubbed off on her," Makarov chuckled as he made his way over to them, the tails of his hat bobbing comically with each step. This particular hat, which was a gift from Rillian in honor of her first month as Sabertooth's guild master and as a consequence was striped with horribly clashing shades of orange and pi—_salmon_, was knocked clear off his head as Asuka tackled the tiny old man to the ground.

"Jii-chan!"

"Oh-ho, why hello there, Asuka! Did you enjoy your trip?"

"Yup! We saw monkeys and lions and elephants and llamas and turtles!"

"Ooh, turtles huh?"

"Yeah! But Mommy hogged all the llamas and goats!"

"It's not my fault," Bisca grimaced as the rest of the guild erupted into laughter, though she was still smiling through her grimace. "Animals just seem to like me for some reason."

With a grin Asuka clambered onto Makarov's shoulders and they were off, running about in a random path around the chairs and tables. They even passed by Gajeel and Natsu, who were too focused on their match to take notice. Giving her husband a kiss on the cheek, Bisca went and joined the girls at the bar as Alzack joined the crowd around the two Dragon Slayers, his eyes on Asuka and Makarov as he smiled.

The doors opened again and this time it was Romeo's voice that greeted them. "Hey guys, we're back! You'll never believe what happened."

Cana rolled her eyes. "C'mon kid, it's just a Vulcan huntin' mission, what could possibly have..." She trailed off as she noticed the group that had stepped through the doors, her barrel dropping to the floor with a loud _clunk_.

She wasn't the only one staring and, noticing this, it wasn't long until every eye in the guild was staring. It wasn't at Romeo's cocky grin that was a near-perfect imitation of Natsu's, nor at Wendy's steadily rising blush as she realized the heavy scrutiny they were being subjected to. They were not staring at Gray's half-naked body, stripped down to his boxers, and not at Charle as she glanced back at Juvia.

They were staring at Juvia, but only because clutching tightly to the Water Mage's hand was a little blue-haired girl none of them had ever seen before. The girl stared back, nervous and just a tad frightened, not that she would admit to ever being scared of course. The silence that ensued grew and lengthened uncomfortably, no one having any clue as what to say.

The silence was broken when the table supporting Gajeel and Natsu's Arm Wrestling Contest collapsed with a loud _CRACK_, sending the both of them crashing to the ground. Suddenly the guild members appeared to find their voices and the uproar began.

"Who's that?!"

"Don't tell me Juvia and Gray—"

"Don't be an idiot, that girl looks like she's a bit older than Asuka!"

"I knew you were a pervert, Stripper Ice-Freak, but kidnapping kids?! That's low, even for you."

"Shut up, Flame Brain!" Gray snapped, throwing an icy glare Natsu's way. "And we didn't kidnap her; we found her."

"Then please explain," Makarov said, Asuka still sitting on his shoulders looking quizzically at Kaia as he stood in front of the group.

Without further prompting, they described their battle with the Vulcans and the subsequent fight against the giant Vulcan Hanu Manidar. But when Gray mentioned the bit about Kaia unleashing a Dragon's Roar, another uproar began.

"Wait, the brat's a Dragon Slayer?!"

"Gajeel! Don't call her a brat, you just met her!"

"You're kidding, right? Is this a joke?"

"_Another_ Dragon Slayer? Awesome!"

"If she's like Natsu and Gajeel, we're in trouble..."

"Come here, child," Makarov said gently as Asuka clambered off his shoulders back to the ground, staring with wide-eyed wonder at the newcomer. Kaia looked uncertain, but Juvia gave the girl a gentle push towards the Guild Master and she stepped forward. Some of her nervousness melted away upon seeing the silly hat perched jauntily atop the short old man's head and she let out a small giggle. Hearing this, Makarov's smile widened. "You like my hat?"

Kaia nodded, giggling again. Nodding solemnly, still smiling, Makarov tilted his head questioningly. "What's your name, my dear?"

"Um..." Glancing back at Juvia, who smiled reassuringly, Kaia turned back to Makarov. "Kaia. I'mma Kaia Nerida."

"You have a pretty name, Kaia-chan."

The girl nodded, a bright smile plastered across her face as she relaxed. "Mama said I'm named after the sea! Mama has a pretty name too, and she wanted me to have a pretty name like hers!"

Natsu and Gajeel shoved their way to the front of he crowd, their curiosity piqued. "What was your mom's name?" Natsu asked, and Kaia stared at him. Then the girl snorted, her face distorting comically as she tried to hold in a laugh. And then she completely lost control and laughed uproariously. The Fire Dragon Slayer was understandably confused by this. "Was it something I said?"

His answer came soon enough. "Your hair's pink!" Kaia giggled. "But you're a _boy_!"

Gajeel guffawed. "The kid's got a point, idiot."

"I don't get it," Natsu said, genuinely confused. "My hair's always been this color. There something odd about it?"

"Forget it." Gajeel rolled his eyes and crouched down, coming to eye level with Kaia. Her laughter petered out as she took in the Iron Dragon Slayer's fearsome appearance, her eyes widening. He grinned at her, showing off his sharp, pointy set of teeth. "The name's Gajeel, kid. My pa's the Iron Dragon Metalicana, an' I'm the one-and-only Iron Dragon Slayer, gihi! Who's yer ma, Tiny?"

"I'm not tiny, I'm Kaia!" the girl retorted, sticking her tongue out at Gajeel, making him chuckle. Levy sighed in relief; she didn't seem to be scared of him, at least. "And Mama is Moannai, a Water Dragon! An' she's the strongest ever!"

"Is this true?" Erza asked, and Wendy nodded.

"She said her mother disappeared on July 7, X777. And I saw her magic myself; she eats water, too."

"Can you show us what your mom taught you?" Natsu asked eagerly and Kaia nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure!" Before anyone could stop her, Kaia had already sucked in a deep breath, her cheeks swelling in a familiar manner.

"Everybody get down!" Gray shouted as the buildup of magical power reached its peak.

"**WATER DRAGON'S ROAR!**"

The thought then occurred to Natsu that letting a young Dragon Slayer—one who still had little control over the powerful magic she possessed—unleash a powerful spell wasn't the brightest of ideas. With a growl, Gajeel pulled him down to the floor just seconds before a high-pressure jet of water punched through the air where Natsu's head used to be and went on to blast a large hole through the guild's ceiling. The roar of rushing water died down as the spell passed, Kaia grinning broadly in the silence that followed.

"So what'cha think?"

Natu leaped to his feet, his eyes shining with excitement. "That was _awesome_! I'm Natsu, and my dad is Igneel the Fire Dragon; I'll show you something cool too!"

Before he could make good on his words, Erza smacked him upside the head; her metal gauntlet only added to the injury. "That'll destroy the guild; we've got enough to fix as is," she added, looking at the broken table and the sunlight shining through the new hole in the ceiling.

"Sorry," Kaia said, grinning apologetically.

"Well, there's no denying it; she really is a Dragon Slayer," Levy said.

"We told you," remarked Gray drily.

After the initial excitement, the guild members slowly dispersed, still wondering at how lucky their guild was to have another Dragon Slayer. Even the reminders that she was still too young to officially join didn't affect their excitement; Romeo and Wendy were pretty young when they got their guild marks (and they're still just kids), so for Kaia it would probably be only a few years. Who knows how strong she'd be when that time came around?

Kaia was more relaxed now after that warm reception and was happily running around the guild hall with Asuka; though Kaia was a little older, that didn't stop them from playing together. In fact, Asuka looked happy to have someone near her own age to play with at the guild. At the moment, Asuka was proudly giving Kaia the grand tour and introducing her to the guild members she knew, with Kaia cheekily wearing Makarov's hat that she had somehow managed to pilfer. Not that Makarov minded; he merely put on one of his better color-coordinated hats and sat on the bar counter, watching them like an old grandfather watching his grandchildren at play.

"I never thought we'd meet another Dragon Slayer after Sting-san and Rogue-san," Wendy said, sitting at a table with her self-proclaimed Dragon Slayer brothers, watching Asuka introduce Kaia to Reedus. The artist was showing them his drawings and Kaia looked very much impressed by what she saw. "Especially not one as young as Kaia."

"You said she was frozen, right?" Natsu gave Wendy a puzzled look. "How did that happen?"

The little Sky Dragon Slayer shrugged. "We don't know; Kaia doesn't seem to remember. All I know is that she was in the same ice as Hanu Manidar."

"That's the big Vulcan," Gajeel remarked, remembering what the group had said earlier. He snorted. "Never heard of a Vulcan like that before." A grin appeared on his face as he thought of something, and he nudged Wendy playfully. "Heh, if we're yer older brothers, looks like ya got yourself a little sister now."

"Eh?" Wendy hadn't thought of it like that. Mulling it over, she watched as Kinana gave Asuka and Kaia tall glasses of cold milk, which the little girls drank gratefully; Kaia even asked for seconds with a toothy grin. When the Water Dragon Slayer saw the milk moustache on Asuka's upper lip, she laughed until Asuka pointed out Kaia's own milk moustache; this sent them both reeling into laughter and Kaia ran up to Juvia to proudly show it off. The sight of this brought a smile to Wendy's face; even if Juvia didn't feel comfortable admitting it, Kaia did seem to draw a correlation between her and her missing dragon mother.

She giggled. "She doesn't think of me as a big sister yet, but I think Kaia's already found someone she sees like a mother."

Natsu was confused by this, but Gajeel caught on immediately and sighed. "She's talkin' about Juvia, dimwit."

"Juvia?" It took him a few seconds but realization soon dawned on him. "Why Juvia?"

"When we met her, she mistook Juvia for her mom at first," Wendy said. "They probably have similar scents."

"Bet it's 'cause of the whole water thing," Gajeel chuckled.

"I get that, but... Juvia isn't a replacement for her mom is she?"

"Nah, that ain't it," Gajeel grunted, oddly reassuring. "Think about it. She's a kid, a hatchling, an' her ma's gone who-knows-where. Too young to be out on her own, so she finds someone to treat like she's her ma until her real ma is found. C'mon, didn't ya have anyone you saw like your pa when you were a kid?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah," Natsu admitted, frowning as he racked his brain for memories. "I guess I kinda saw Gildarts like a dad. But everyone in Fairy Tail is like my family anyway and Master's kinda like an old grampa."

"Jellal... Edolas Jellal... was like a big brother to me," Wendy said softly, smiling at fond and familiar memories. "And after I joined Cait Shelter, there was Master Roubal, and Naoki and Pepel and Magna and Busk and everyone, even if they were just illusions Master Roubal created for my sake. Charle, too, but she's more like a big sister." She looked up at Natsu and Gajeel, beaming as she carefully wiped away tears in her eyes. "And now I've got everyone at Fairy Tail, too!"

Gajeel grinned, reaching over and ruffling the younger Dragon Slayer's hair. "Gihi, ya got that right kid!" He glanced over at Kaia, where she had seated herself next to Juvia with Asuka sitting next to her, all of them watching as Gray showed off his Ice Make skills by crafting small sculptures for them. None were mobile like Lyon's, but the detail in every piece delighted the girls to no end and Juvia found herself staring at the sculptures as well instead of at Gray for once. With a chuckle, Gajeel turned back to his fellow Dragon Slayers, grinning broadly. "We've got a good place here."

"What about you, Metal-Face?" Natsu asked. "You had someone you liked as a dad?"

The good feeling swelling up in the Iron Dragon Slayer's chest popped, and he grimaced with an annoyed glare. After a moment his expression relaxed and he let out a gruff sigh. "Yeah, I guess. I thought Jose was a pretty swell guy, back then. Took me in, helped me get strong, that kinda stuff. Kinda like Master, but now that I think about it, it probably wasn't outta the goodness of his heart. Turned out to be batshit insane; if it weren't for Juvia, I probably wouldn't be sitting here now gettin' all cozy with you guys."

"Juvia-san is like a sister to you?"

"Figured me out, huh? She pretty much is," Gajeel admitted. "An' if that damn stripper breaks her heart, I'll break his legs."

Wendy hid her smile behind her hand, letting out a small giggle. "I don't think you need to worry about it much. They'll be fine."

While the three Dragon Slayers were having their heart-to-heart bonding session, Kaia was having a fun time adjusting to this "Fairy Tail" place. It was kind of a silly name in her opinion, but kinda cool at the same time. She peered down at the ice fish Gray had produced, resisting the urge to eat it like she would a real fish. They'd already been shocked the other day when she ate her fill after they got out of the hot spring; Kaia wasn't certain if they'd be happy about her eating so much again.

Looking up, Kaia noticed Wendy talking to Natsu and Gajeel a few tables over and grinned to herself. She knew Wendy had a dragon mama; she'd been told during the carriage ride. But meeting Natsu and Gajeel who had dragon papas was pretty neat, and she wanted to know what they meant by Fire and Iron.

Slyly she glanced at Juvia and Asuka, making sure they weren't paying attention to her. Gray wasn't either, as he was forming another detailed ice figurine in his hands. This meant she had an opportunity.

There was a little technique Maonnai had taught Kaia, a different way of shooting out water. Kaia had loved it so much she practiced and practiced until her aim was near-perfect. With the smallest puffing of her cheeks, Kaia let her magic build up until the right moment and then...

"**Water Dragon's Stream Shot!**"

A stream of water shot out towards Natsu, a straight line that struck him directly in the forehead; it was much like being on the business end of a garden hose and Natsu sputtered with shock as he found himself drenched. His expression was priceless; Kaia fell down laughing, along with most of the guild as they realized what was going on.

"Gihi! She got you there, didn't she!" Gajeel guffawed.

Natsu shook his head to clear most of the water out of his hair and face, grinning madly. That had clearly been a challenge, and Natsu was not one to turn down challenges lightly. From the bar, Lucy sighed when she saw the grin on his face. "Oh boy, here we go again."

Kaia had a different reaction upon seeing Natsu's grin. With a confident wink at Asuka, Kaia slipped away from the table, making a beeline for the Fire Dragon Slayer. As she did, her cheeks swelled up once more. "**Water Dragon's Roar!**"

This time, Natsu was prepared. His own cheeks swelling beyond normal human proportions, he clasped his hands in front of his mouth as though readying to blow through a trumpet. "**Fire Dragon's Roar!**"

"Aw, hell!" Gray cursed. He slammed a fist into his palm, knowing full well that if those two attacks met the entire guild hall would probably be demolished. "**Ice Make: Block!**"

He wasn't the only one to realize this; panicking, the other mages hurried to intercept the two Dragon Slayers' attacks before they collided.

"**Clay Make: Guardian Doll!**"

"**Purple Wall!**"

"**Solid Script: Guard!**"

The twin Roars impacted and dissipated upon striking the various magical barriers and objects, breaking many but luckily never meeting. As Makarov pulled Natsu aside for a stern lecture and his punishment, Erza examined the damage, noting that Natsu's attack had broken through more barriers than Kaia's. If anything, Natsu might have accidentally hurt Kaia and, Dragon Slayer or not, she was still a child and definitely not as powerful a mage as everyone else in the guild.

Of course, Kaia wasn't able to escape without some repercussion. She grinned apologetically at Juvia, who gave the girl a stern look. "Eheheh... sorry?"

Juvia shook her head. "Kaia..."

"She reminds me of Natsu when we were kids," Erza said as she walked up to them, a smile on her face that Kaia didn't entirely trust. "Causing trouble with disregard for discipline. Then again, Natsu is still like that."

"Mama taught me how to behave," Kaia said defensively, earning a chuckle from the scarlet-haired mage.

"Maybe, but you are still lacking in manners," Erza said, patting the girl's head with a gauntlet-clad hand. This didn't feel very nice to Kaia, but she refrained from saying anything. Mama always said Kaia should trust her instincts, and her instincts were telling her that Erza was not one she wanted to cross. The Requip Mage turned to Juvia. "Juvia, she seems to trust you quite a lot. Since she still needs somewhere to stay, would you mind looking after her?"

"K-Kaia staying w-with Juvia?"

"Yes, at least until we can prepare the proper accommodations. She's still too young to take jobs to pay for rent and it would be best for her to stay with someone she knows and trusts. I'm sure Alzack and Bisca wouldn't mind letting her stay with them, but I think dealing with a young Dragon Slayer is a different experience than raising Asuka. Not to mention you both use a form of Water Magic; it will likely be easier for you to handle her than anyone else."

Juvia thought this over and slowly nodded, still uncertain. "If it's for the best... then Juvia accepts. Kaia can stay with Juvia, and Juvia will take care of Kaia." Then the Water Mage had a thought. "But on jobs..."

"I'll talk with Ruchio about extending your deadline for rent, at least for this month." Erza patted Juvia's shoulder, smiling. "But if push comes to shove, you can always ask for someone to watch her for you."

Juvia nodded, and Gajeel felt a shiver run down his spine for some reason. He had a feeling it had something to do with his longtime friend, but he wasn't certain. Glancing back to see Kaia staring at Juvia with her face glowing with delight, he shook his head and grinned as he wandered over to bother the Shrimp for some iron.

Oh yeah, things were definitely gonna get interesting.

**Author's Notes**

**I'm pooped. Sorry if the ending for this chapter is rushed, I'm tired and didn't want to make you guys wait too long for this chapter. Anyways, more plot-relevant stuff will appear next chapter; the Strauss siblings, Hydra Fang, all that good stuff. Oh, and the bit of RoYu I put in? Not gonna lie, I think that pairing needs more love. Srsly.**

**And if anyone wants, I might write a one-shot (or bonus chapter, your pic) about what Rogue did that led to Yukino becoming his girlfriend. It'll likely be fluffy but hey, I need more practice writing fluffy fluff anyways! Anyways, reviews and criticisms are loved and wanted of course, and stay tuned! *bows low* Gute Nacht!**

**Oh! Almost forgot; I have a sketch of Kaia on my deviantArt! Look for "bountyhunter628" and you'll find her!**

**Missjennifer54:**** Good to hear that! Kaia is a cutie, isn't she? She's a bit of a bratty kid at times, though, but she is a kid; I'm the oldest of my siblings, I know what kids her age are like. Yikes. And Juvia's lil bro? Not spoiling anything on that front! =P**


	5. Ch 5: Le Chant de la Terre

**Disclaimer:** Airyfay Ailtay is otnay inemay, it elongsbay to Hiro Mashima! Lyonay the OCs and the lotplay of isthay anficfay elongbay to me!

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**Chapter 5: Le Chant de la Terre**

"Nee-chan... I'm sorry..."

"Me too..."

"I told you, it isn't anyone's fault. We were caught off-guard is all," Mira said reassuringly, but Elfman and Lisanna's guilt-stricken expressions told her that they didn't believe that. Not that it wasn't hard to understand why; she was having a hard time convincing herself of her own words instead of blaming herself completely.

The three siblings were supporting each other as they walked, with Elfman and Lisanna supporting Mirajane between them. Right now she was weaker than either of them, having had to deal with both the poison and Mercy's cruelty. And considering all of them were still weakened, even after half a day's worth of rest, that was saying something. The sun above shone inappropriately bright for their melancholic moods, but the rocky terrain that surrounded them, dotted here and there with sparse shrubs of vegetation helped to dispel any sort of cheery atmosphere it might have created.

"But..." Before Elfman could voice his protest Mira tightened her grip on her siblings, her hold still weak but as reassuring as she could make it.

"No 'buts' and no telling me that what happened wasn't 'manly,' okay? The both of you are strong mages and nothing will change that. Those sisters ambushed us with powerful poisons; even Master lost to a surprise attack, as much as I hate to admit it." She smiled gently at them, one arm slung across Lisanna's shoulders while the other was wrapped around Elfman's waist, her half-embrace warm and comforting. "Next time we face them-and I'm certain there will be a next time-we'll be prepared."

With that, Lisanna and Elfman finally allowed themselves to smile back, their hearts lighter. While they still felt guilty for falling so easily, letting Mirajane take the brunt of the damage, their elder sister's reassurance did wonders. Even better, she still had faith in them and did not blame them one bit. She was right; no one was infallible, especially from an unexpected assault.

The fact that she'd had to repeat her words-in different ways-again and again over the past several hours before they let themselves feel better about the situation wasn't entirely lost on them.

Mira hadn't exactly revealed everything to them, though. She knew better. While she hadn't fought Charity, battling Mercy had given her an idea on just how powerful the sisters were. Even in her weakened state, Mirajane's Satan Soul was still a terrible force to behold, yet Mercy had beaten her down. Not effortlessly, as Mirajane could have claimed an easy victory if she'd been in top form and being poisoned hadn't hampered her completely, but Mercy was still a powerful mage with incredible power over poisons and venoms. Hell, every toxic blast had weakened Mirajane further, despite her Satan Soul's near-immunity to poisons. Then again, she hadn't fought anyone specializing in Toxic Magic before; it was a rare magic, almost a Lost Magic if not for its usefulness amidst the even greater scarcity of Healing Magic. Though offensive Toxic spells were almost certainly forbidden, or at least frowned upon.

_Not that that would stop a Dark Mage_, Mira mused, carefully keeping a frown from her face lest her siblings guess her thoughts.

Then there was Charity. From what Mira had observed, the girl was the opposite of her elder sister. She hadn't acted cruelly or flirtatiously, and hadn't taken part in the battle; she'd instead cured the Take Over siblings of their poison. Yet she didn't lift a finger to stop her sister except at the end, likely because they had wasted enough time as it was.

_But what are they doing that's so important?_ The fact that she had no idea worried her. Obviously it was a mission that would benefit Hydra Fang in some way, but what exactly their purpose was eluded her. Then came another worrying thought. _Why would they let us leave after letting slip something like that?_

She didn't want to worry Elfman and Lisanna too much, but she knew she had to tell them her suspicions sooner than later. Either Hydra Fang wanted it to be known they were planning something... or someone had been dispatched to take care of them. And in their weakened state, Mira knew that if someone was after them, their chances of surviving the fight were slim to none.

Hence their current path; she'd made the excuse that it was to find a good place to rest, but Elfman and Lisanna still hadn't entirely agreed with her decision. Even if Sabertooth could be counted among their allies now some things took a little longer to be forgiven than others. The only reason they had agreed at all really was because they knew Rillian would welcome them with open arms (and make sure no one messed with them in their current condition); well that and the fact that Sabertooth was closest to their current position.

Nearby, Mira heard the loud, obnoxious call of an unseen bird, accompanied soon after by the sound of wings flapping furiously. _Once we enter Sensei's territory, we'll be safe._

"Beast King" Rillian Jager. Mira had fond memories of her former teacher, even if they had butted heads countless times in the past. They hadn't seen her in years, not since about a year before Lisanna's "death"; it would be nice to see her again. Though they were certain she didn't know that Lisanna used to be presumed dead, since Rillian hadn't returned to Fiore until sometime during the third year of Tenrou Island's disappearance. Not that they were planning on bringing that up unless she did; after all the lectures and warnings on the danger of losing control and only Taking Over creatures they could realistically handle (emergency situations aside), she would surely punish them for the events of that day. Rillian might be their "former" teacher but as a mother figure to the siblings she still had some authority over them.

Smiling at the thought of seeing Rillian, even with their injuries (hopefully they'd be in better condition when they got back; Porlyusica would throw a fit if she saw them), Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna continued limping their way along.

A few hours later, Lisanna stiffened, holding her free hand up in a clear signal for them to stop. With a quiet "**Animal Soul: Ears**" her ears were replaced by comically large brown bat ears, swivelling around and twitching as she searched for whatever had attracted her attention. Mirajane and Elfman remained silent, but strained their own human ears for the slightest sound.

Lisanna's ears suddenly swivelled towards the same direction, her head turned to try catch a glimpse of what was following them. Not that she saw anything, but the sound bothered her. It wasn't a familiar sound and not for the first time she wished that her brother and sister had studied Animal Soul Take Over Magic like she did. They might've recognized the sound.

Not that it mattered; the silence of their surroundings meant that as the sound got closer, even Elfman and Mirajane could faintly hear it. It was a strange noise and Elfman racked his brain, trying to figure out why it sounded familiar. It was a faint rumbling combined with a sort of slithering sound, as though something was moving through the earth. Or warping it as it moved.

That's when it hit him. And he was less than pleased at the revelation.

It wasn't long before his fears were confirmed; Mira's eyes widened in recognition when she, too, heard the faint voice emanating from the earth around them.

"_Non non non_..."

It was steadily getting louder; the Strauss siblings began moving with increased urgency, Lisanna sensing her siblings' anxiety and eager to escape whatever was making them so antsy. Not that their speed increased all that much; they were still exhausted and injured from the previous day and it hampered their movement severely.

"_Non non non_..."

It sounded close, too close. Now Elfman knew that he and Lisanna were in far better condition to fight than Mirajane, but he still didn't fancy his chances. Even against an opponent he'd already defeated once before, especially as this one was by no means a fair fighter.

At this rate, though, it looked like they wouldn't have any other choice but to fight.

"_Non non non non_!"

Abruptly, without any warning, the ground before them warped, twisting in a way that should by no means be physically possible except through magic. It rose, twisting and contorting into an all-too familiar figure, wriggling like a deranged earthworm as his body swayed side-to-side.

"With a '_non_' of 3, 3, and 4 I greet you! I am _Monsieur_ Sol!" The Earth Mage hadn't changed that much from how Elfman remembered him. He still had an abnormally lanky body, though he had grown out his moustache; it stretched out from either side of his face, dramatically curling upwards at the ends. His original pineapple-like hair had been parted down the middle and was half the height it used to stand, but retained its spikes.

The man's suit was different. He'd exchanged his old brown suit and red tie for a completely black suit and tie; it reminded Elfman disturbingly of funeral attire. The small, white skull imprinted on his tie didn't help. Then there was the cloak tossed over his shoulders, replacing the old cape he used to have attached to his elbows. It had the effect of making him seem more... _phantom_-like, with the strange way it waved in relation to his swaying body. Speaking of phantoms, Sol had also replaced his monocle; he now had a strange white half-mask that covered part of the right side of his face. The eyehole of the mask was a mere slit, leering menacingly.

It didn't seem like Sol was paying much attention to them, though; his eyes were closed and it appeared as though he had recited his lines many times before judging by how he dramatically emphasized his words. "And you, _mon ami_, are _mon cible_."

When he cracked open his eyes to give them a threatening, dramatic leer after his dramatic introduction, Sol's expression quickly transformed into one of pure horror. Jaw dropping, eyes widening, he clapped his hands to his face and screamed. Or, well, shrieked. "Eeeeeek! _Non non non non non non non_! Not you! _Mon dieu_, if I had known! Anyone but you!"

Elfman winced at the man's pitiful shrieking, his voice as grating to his ears as nails on a chalkboard. Their last battle seemed to have left quite an impression on Sol, if not outright traumatized him. Which, he realized, was a good thing; maybe they could get him to leave as long as they didn't reveal just how vulnerable they were in their current state. He straightened his back, standing at his full height as he glared down at Sol, who was panicking like an earthworm on the sidewalk. "What do you want?" he said in his deepest, most threatening tone; Mirajane and Lisanna gave him thumbs-up as they realized his plan and began edging their way around Sol.

Sol froze at the sound of Elfman's voice, beads of sweat popping out on his brow as his eyes focused solely on the giant before him. He didn't even seem to notice Mirajane and Lisanna's presence. "I-I had been.. well, my job... _Mademoiselle_ Mercy and _Mademoiselle_ Charity... fine, upstanding young women, yes... but, eh... don't always see things through..."

"Speak clearly like a man!" Elfman barked harshly, making Sol quickly straighten in shock and fear.

"_O-oui_! You see, _Mademoiselle_ Mercy and _Mademoiselle_ Charity almost never leave their victims dead, _toujours en vie_. I am supposed to finish what they started, make sure no witnesses are left... but this is _inattendue_! Unexpected!" He shivered as Elfman's cold glare hardened, wishing he had taken the time to scout out his targets before revealing himself. Sol had never failed to take out a target during his time in Hydra Fang, not once, and a dramatic introduction never failed to make things easier, unsettle his opponent... but the last thing he'd expected was to encounter _him_ again. Not after all this time!

But then again... Sol's keen eye soon spotted irregularities, how Elfman seemed to be struggling somewhat to maintain his posture, how his breathing was rather heavier than it ought to... _Ah-ha!_ Of course! With his fear receding, rational thoughts began forming in his brain, making him realize that he currently had the upper hand. The psychotic smirk forming on his face clued Elfman in on the Earth Mage's thoughts.

_Shit... he figured it out faster than I hoped._

"_Non non non_! I almost lost my head there. Quite unprofessional!" Sol leered at him, his entire body wriggling crazily as he regained his confidence. "But you are not feeling so well, yes? _Quelle chance_!" A wicked gleam shone in his eyes as he regarded Elfman, his smirk widening into an outright sneer. "Consider this payback with eight years of interest, _mon ami_. _**Pierre Capriccio**_**!**" With a dramatic sweep of his arms, Sol forced dozens of stone spikes, each one easily a foot in length, to burst from the rocky ground straight towards the object of his revenge.

While Elfman didn't have the energy to perform a full-on Beast Soul Take Over, that didn't mean he was completely defenseless. "**Beast Arm: Armor Claw!**" Just before Sol's attack reached him, Elfman's arm transformed into a monstrous blue crustacean claw that nearly dwarfed his own impressive height; he held the claw between him and the stones like a shield, feeling his entire body being pushed back by the force of each blow. The end of Sol's spell saw Elfman standing a good foot and a half from his original position, but he was for the most part unharmed.

_All he can do is defend!_ Sol thought gleefully. Oh the fun he would have! Taking Elfman down at his leisure would be the best therapy for the trauma the man had inflicted on him eight years ago. And it was hard to be an effective assassin when one had a crippling fear of abnormally tall and muscular men, especially when there were a surprising number of mages who fit that description. Though he had the feeling he was forgetting something... hadn't the _Mesdemoiselles _Belgarde fought more than one person?

He was correct in that there were more, but Lisanna and Mirajane were long gone, Lisanna pushing herself to her limits to reach Rillian in time to send Elfman help. Sure, they believed in their brother, that he'd be able to hold out until help arrived, but they still worried. With Mirajane clinging tightly to Lisanna's back, the youngest sibling's arms now wings, they hurried towards Sabertooth. Hopefully they'd get there before Elfman fell... and before Lisanna collapsed from exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Elfman had decided to attempt a more offensive approach. While he hadn't been all that successful last time until his Full-Body Take Over, this time would be different. He had an idea of Sol's strength and knew better than to underestimate the man. And even better: Sol lacked the psychological advantage he once had. So when he tried to use his little **Earth Statues** trick, the Earth Mage discovered to his dismay that Elfman easily shoved them aside before resuming his attack.

Dodging an iron-encased arm, Sol was a little disturbed. Clearly things had changed in the eight years since he'd last fought Elfman; not just in himself, of course, but in the other man's power and mind. Either that incident eight years ago had accidentally lifted some emotional baggage off his shoulders or Elfman found another way to deal with the memory of being responsible for the death of his little sister. Not that the _how_ really mattered; the fact that he now had less of an advantage over the man was enough.

And, unfortunately for Sol, Charity had done a _really_ good job of purging Mercy's poison from Elfman's system. Though he could feel the exhaustion creeping into his muscles, Elfman had to admit that he was not nearly as handicapped as he'd originally expected. That didn't mean he could go crazy with the Full-Body Take Overs of course, but it wouldn't hurt to do it near the end of the fight. Maybe he'd even be able to take Sol down before Mirajane and Lisanna returned with Rillian. That was a good thought that had Elfman grinning as his arm shifted into a Were-Tiger's arm, boosting the speed of his attacks enough to actually catch Sol and slam him hard into the rocky ground, cracking his mask.

To his surprise Sol suddenly crumbled into a mass of dirt and rocks moments after hitting the ground; taking advantage of Elfman's momentary distraction, the real Sol burst out from the earth behind him, cackling as twin towers of stone sprouted from the ground and coiled themselves tightly around Elfman, restricting his movement. Growling in frustration, Elfman thrashed about with all his might in an attempt to break free but to no avail. If he had enough magic left, he could have easily just done a Full-Body Take Over to escape... the problem was that his reserves were beginning to run thin, even with his careful management. He could feel his stamina leaking away and soon stopped his thrashing, knowing that he'd just tire himself out uselessly. He needed to wait for an opening. He'd fought Sol before; the guy was one of those who appeared rather prone to...

"_Fantastique_! I, _Monsieur _Sol, have defeated the mighty _Monsieur_ Elfman! For several long years I have waited for this fated day!" Sol cried, hardly able to keep himself from gloating. Dramatically wiping a tear from his eye, he gazed up at the clear blue sky, basking in the glow of victory. Victory over the man who had haunted his nightmares since that fateful day. His smile widening, he lifted an upturned hand as he placed the other on his chest, feeling as though there were a spotlight trained on him at that very moment.

"This feeling... ah, this_sentiment précieux. _That moment of catharsis, to finally be free of _ma peur_, my _cauchemars_. _Oui_, there is surely no greater feeling! To conquer a foe who has long tormented my thoughts and be released from this frightful burden! Why, I remember, when I was a small child..."

Elfman resisted the urge to groan. The gloating he had expected. The _monologuing_, on the other hand... the man clearly had had a few screws loosened since their previous encounter. On the other hand, this was the perfect opportunity to make his escape. While Sol was busy soliloquizing, Elfman tested his stone bindings. He held his breath as he pressed his arms against the stone, feeling it give slightly. Elfman glanced back at Sol, who amazingly was _still_ in the middle of a soliloquy, now talking about... well, it didn't really matter. He just needed a little more room to free himself, he didn't want to risk injury by crushing his body against his stone bindings after unleashing a Beast Arm spell.

Back to his task. Elfman gritted his teeth and began pushing against the stone with more force, keeping a careful eye on Sol the whole time. It was amazing how little attention the man was paying to him now. One of Rillian's teachings came to mind as he observed the Earth Mage's gloating monologue: _"Unless you have made it undeniably certain that your opponent is down for the count, never _ever_ turn your back on them. Because the moment you stop focusing on them... they will take advantage of your carelessness. This goes for both humans and beasts. It's fine to be proud, but arrogance can get you killed."_ Not that he'd followed all his former teacher's advice quite as much as he'd care to admit over the years. A grin broke out on his face when the stone shifted unexpectedly, giving him more space than he had originally expected. Which suited him just fine.

"...and though he is a _Tueur de Dragon_ I knew that I am most definitely stronger than him! But Master Jose, he doubtless would not have appreciated me damaging a valuable asset to our guild. This knowledge of my power, it kept me happy, for I was not afraid of _Monsieur_ Gajeel! And-"

"**Beast Arm: Iron Bull!"**

"Eh?" Surprised by the sudden interruption, Sol turned to his conquered foe to chastise him for interrupting his moment, one that would surely go down in the history books as the greatest day in the life of Sol...

...Only for an ironclad fist to smash into his face, knocking him clear out of the ground and into the air. Elfman was, frankly, impressed with how long the Earth Mage hung in the air until he hit the ground with a solid, satisfying _thud_. Even better, he stayed as himself and didn't turn into a pile of dirt again. The Earth Mage groaned as he slowly and shakily got back to his feet; when he turned to look at Elfman, he saw that not only did Sol have a beautifully blackened eye but he was also sporting a rather bloody nose.

With a glare, Sol reached up and wrenched his nose back into place with a loud _crack_, the pain barely registering through his fury. "Very well, _Monsieur_, if that is how you wish to play, _then_ _so be it_!" He plunged his hands into the earth, the ground rumbling ominously as the magical pressure in the air intensified. As the earth shuddered, Sol let out a loud, harsh laugh. He was clearly infuriated; Elfman's grin vanished as he realized that he should have taken Sol out with that single opportunity. He'd underestimated the man; he had forgotten that seven years was long enough time for the Earth Mage to learn some new tricks.

Tricks that could easily kill him in his current state.

"Tell me _Monsieur _Elfman, do you remember the events following the Grand Magic Games? Of course, you were there." Leering, Sol shaped the stone and soil as it began tearing through the ground, lifting him up, higher and higher. "I'd heard some rumors that were quite... _intéressant_, to say the least. Knowing these rumors, I was able to use the knowledge I unearthed to craft myself a new spell. And this time, _you_ shall be the one who will be crushed by a terrible beast!" With a final, shuddering _CRACK_ the earth tore open, a cloud of dust billowing outwards, obscuring whatever it was that Sol had done. As the dust cloud surged toward him, Elfman raised his arms defensively, squeezing his eyes shut. The last thing he needed was to be blinded, not now; he had to know what he was up against.

Soon enough the dust began to clear and Elfman lowered his arms, forgetting to breath for a moment as he gaped at the colossal figure before him. What Sol had created was an **Earth Statue**, a truly massive one.

If only it were as simple as that.

Before Elfman, gazing hungrily at the Take Over Mage, was a dragon of stone. It was truly colossal; if Elfman needed proof before that Sol had indeed gotten stronger, he didn't now. On the beast's head, like a rather ugly pimple, was Sol, his body partially merged with the stone. He was grinning madly at Elfman's expression, letting out a wicked cackle as the stone dragon let out an ear-splitting roar, its deep voice reverberating through the earth.

The ground shook as it tore its claws out of the soil, lifting a single massive paw up to the sky before bringing it back down. Elfman knew that it would easily crush him beneath its weight alone; he gritted his teeth and assumed a fighting stance, pulling his arm back. As the dragon's paw came crashing down on him, he let out a fearsome roar of his own as he launched a sturdy iron fist in retaliation. The two attacks connected...

...And Elfman was knocked painfully off his feet, his punch having barely deflected the full force of the dragon's blow. As the dust settled, Elfman lurched painfully to his feet, horribly aware of the agonizing pain in his right arm. _Yeah... it's broken._ Even with a reliably sturdy Beast Arm, he hadn't managed to do more than left a small indent in the thing's paw. Not that he could have done much afterwards; his magical reserves were running thin as is.

But now?

He was in more trouble than he'd expected.

"And now, _Monsieur_ Elfman... _mourir_ _s'il vous plaît_." The dragon raised its paw again, casting a shadow over Elfman. He glared at it, knowing there was little he could do. Low reserves, a broken arm, and an opponent that could easily catch him if he tried to run... the deck was stacked against him and he knew it. _Nee-chan, Lisanna... Looks like I'm not gonna make it after all. I hope you reached Sensei; she'll protect you. _As the dragon's paw came down upon him he uttered a final roar of defiance, pulling out the last dregs of his magical power. _A real man fights to the end! Giving up now... NOT MANLY AT ALL!_

But try as he might, the magic refused to take hold; he didn't have enough power left to maintain a Take Over of any sort.

This was it.

This was the end of Elfman Strauss.

But at least he would go down fighting.

Or at least... that's what was expected.

At the very last second, just before the dragon could crush him beneath its paw, Elfman felt something collide painfully with his midriff and knock him clear of the dragon's attack. Unfortunately he landed on his arm, resulting in much unneeded agony, but more importantly _he was alive_. Using his good arm he sat up as best he could to see who had saved him. The sight made him grin despite his pain. "Hey. It isn't manly to be late."

The black-haired Dragon Slayer standing in front of him, his eyes trained on the giant stone dragon, simply chuckled. "You're welcome. And I wouldn't say we're late; you are still alive."

"'We'?"

As if in answer to Elfman's question, a blindingly white orb of light crashed into the dragon's side, nearly causing it to topple over. While Sol was busy recuperating from the sudden, destructive attack, a confidently smiling blonde man joined them, giving Elfman a nod in greeting. "Yeah, 'we.' What, did you think I'd let Rogue have all the fun?"

Elfman just grinned as he slowly got back on his feet, doing his best to ignore the pain in his arm. "Where's Sensei?"

"Master wanted to make sure your sisters would be given proper care before she departed; that's partially why we're here, actually," Rogue said as the stone dragon turned its attention on the three of them. Elfman had little doubt that Sol was fuming right now. "First, she wanted us to make sure you're alive and keep you that way..."

"And then she told us to feel free to wail on the guy until she gets here," Sting finished. He didn't look at all disgruntled when he added, "But she doesn't want us to finish him off; Master wants to do that part herself."

"_HOW DARE YOU!_" Sol screeched, his exceedingly loud voice gaining their attention. It was difficult to see, but from his perch atop his dragon his face was a vibrant shade of red. He wasn't just fuming; he was _enraged_ by this interruption. "_THIS IS A MATTER SOLELY BETWEEN ME AND THAT BRUTE! KINDLY LEAVE BEFORE I AM FORCED TO CRUSH YOU AS WELL!_"

If anything, Sting's smile just got bigger. "Nope. Can't do that."

"_I AM _MONSIEUR_ SOL! I AM MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU KNOW, BOY!_"

"We'll take our chances then," Rogue said. "I would rather fight you than run the risk of angering our Master."

"_THEN I WILL SIMPLY CRUSH HER AS WELL!_"

Sting snorted. "I wouldn't if I were you; it takes more than one monster to raise children like them," he said, jerking a thumb in Elfman's direction.

By this point, Sol was getting quite tired of their dismissals. "_DO NOT TAKE ME LIGHTLY! I AM _MONSIEUR _SOL! I CREATED A DRAGON!_"

"Wrong. You simply made a puppet that looks like one." Rogue inhaled, drawing in a deep breath as his magical power surged forth. "**Shadow Dragon's Roar!**" A massive blast created entirely of shadows burst forth from his mouth, tearing through the pseudo-dragon's body with ease. Screeching incoherently, Sol began repairing the dragon even as Rogue and Sting stood idly by, watching the rogue Earth Mage with amusement.

"You're not doing much," Elfman remarked and Rogue nodded.

"I know. But we don't want to risk doing too much; we want to see just how quickly Master can deflate this guy's ego."

"I still think we should just beat him up now, and let Master take care of the rest," Sting said, his smile turning into a frown. "But then again, she looked pretty pissed when we left."

"It's definitely wise to avoid making her angrier."

"_STOP IGNORING ME!_" This was insulting! Just who did these upstarts think they were?! He was Sol! The grand, the magnificent Sol of the Land, The Great Earth! They were _nothing_ compared to him! _Nothing_!

But even as he was having these thoughts and was readying his next attack, a sudden... _intensity_ in the air made him give pause. Even Rogue and Sting, who were idly readying _their_ next attacks even as they swapped bets as to where their attacks would land, stopped as they felt the approaching magical pressure. Elfman couldn't suppress a growing grin as he spotted a figure in the distance rapidly moving towards them, growing larger and more distinct with every second. He knew this feeling. It may have been years, but he'd felt this power far too often to not recognize it.

"Damn she's fast," Sting muttered, sounding just the smallest bit awed. "Guess Master isn't one of the Ten Wizard Saints for nothin'."

"I'm pretty sure speed isn't one of the requirements to become one..."

As Sol turned to face this new intruder, likely to chastise them for yet another interruption, he instead found himself on the receiving end of another punch to the face. This time the blow had an incredible amount of speed backing it up; while his lower body was more securely anchored this time, it didn't stop his body from suddenly bending back so fast the back of his head collided painfully with the stone pseudo-dragon's "scales." Momentarily dazed, he didn't notice that Rillian hadn't stopped at all once she hit him. She kept going, right up until she was standing before the three mages; Sting and Rogue stepped respectfully aside as she walked towards them at a more moderate speed.

"Elfman."

"R-Rillian-sensei..."

She looked older than he remembered; with a pang, he remembered the missing seven years. Time really had passed them by. Her face was creased with additional wrinkles on top of those in his memories, her glossy black hair, cut short with the rest fastened into a small bun at the base of the back of her neck, was streaked with silver, and even her hands were more wrinkled than before as she reached for him, cupping his chin with one hand. But her piercing blue eyes hadn't changed one bit; they were as bright as ever, and her lips pulled into a grin when she noticed his growing frown. "Yes, yes, I'm old, I get it. You should've seen little Lisanna's face when she and Mirajane arrived on Sabertooth's doorstep."

"They're all right?"

Rillian nodded, her eyes narrowing when she noticed his broken arm. Her expression darkened further as she took in the full extent of his injuries. "Hmph. Either I've begun to shrink or you've grown taller, Elfman. More muscular, too. You three have changed alot since I last saw you." She shook her head. "But that can wait for later. Sting, Rogue." They snapped to attention as she turned to address them. "Please take Elfman back to the guild and have Zan fix him up. I'll send a message to Markarov once I return." Her voice was oddly calm as she turned away and began marching purposefully towards Sol and his stone dragon, but it was clear that she was trembling with barely suppressed rage.

Sting and Rogue exchanged glances before going over to Elfman and positioning themselves on either side of the larger man. "It's not gonna be comfortable for you, but don't sweat. We'll get you there in no time," Sting reassured him.

"Thanks," Elfman said, returning Sting's smile.

"Fairy Tail is our comrade now; it would be a disservice to mistreat its members," Rogue said softly as he and Sting prepared to move Elfman. A wry grin appeared on his face. "Not to mention Yukino would probably kill me herself if I turned my back on our comrades now."

As they departed, Rillian bent down and plucked a baseball-sized rock, hefting it in one hand before throwing it. The projectile left an indent on the pseudo-dragon, attracting Sol's attention as he recovered from his dazed state. He glared at the old woman. "Who are you, _Madame_, to intrude so rudely?"

She didn't answer him; instead, she continued to stare at him, her eyes locked firmly with his. The intensity of her gaze was unnerving. After a few minutes he coughed and broke eye contact. "Again, I ask: Who are you?"

A feral grin formed on Rillian's face as she continued to stare at him, even while he avoided direct eye contact. "Let me ask you something young man. Do you know what the absolute worst time to approach a bear is?"

Sol scoffed. "_Oui_, of course! Why does that even matter right now?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Before Sol could comment, she had already started moving with unbelievable speed; before Sol could react, the head of his stone dragon fell off, separated neatly from its neck with clean cut. Another cut cost it its arm. Sol couldn't keep up with Rillian's speed as she continued to hack his fake dragon to pieces. Finally, just as the last piece was about to be separated, a strong blow knocked Sol off his perch and onto the ground, breaking his nose once more.

He gaped at Rillian as the old woman approached him, her eyes burning with rage. Her right arm had changed into a giant mantis claw while her left was covered in knobbly scales and ended in a three-clawed hand. She scoffed at his expression. "Yes, yes, multiple Take-Overs, I _know_. Mirajane commented on that when I first began teaching her and her siblings, the little brat. It's not impossible; merely difficult." As she returned her limbs to normal and continued approaching him, Sol quickly began backing away, realizing he was out of his league.

_I must escape!_ Before he could sink into the earth, Rillian was already upon him, her hand clamped in a vice-like grip on his arm as she yanked him into the air. As gravity pulled him back down, her other arm came around, driving her fist into his midriff as she used the momentum to slam the Earth Mage into the rocky ground. The force of the impact sent a tremor through the earth and the pain made Sol nearly lose consciousness.

"Don't fall asleep yet, boy. I'm not done teaching you a lesson," she growled, looking down on him. "You _will_ learn your place."

"N-No... _non... non non non non non non non non non non non non_! I-I have learned enough! Forgive me, _Madame_!"

Rillian shook her head, her lips pulled back in an angry snarl. "You think it's that easy? No, you hurt my cubs... consider yourself lucky if you survive." A dark magical aura began wrapping itself around her, inspiring in Sol a feeling of dread to a level he had never felt before. A single word escaped his lips. "_M-Monstre..._"

"You brought this upon yourself. _You hurt this monster's children_."

_Non non non..._

"**Satan Soul: Amon.**"

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!_" Sol screamed, his eyes bulging at the sight of the figure before him. What he saw wasn't human, not a monster or a beast... _A true demon!_ Unable to stand it any longer, he fainted, laying sprawled on his back in a rather undignified pose.

With that, Rillian sighed and released her **Transformation** spell, dispelling her intense aura at the same time. _As if I'd waste one of my most powerful spells on a pathetic human like this one._ If anything, she'd prefer to beat him with her own fists. Grunting, she hefted the unconscious Sol onto her shoulder and began making her way back to Sabertooth HQ, mentally listing the tasks she had to take care of upon her return.

_I'll have Orga toss this guy in the dungeon; maybe I'll have him assist Crail in getting information out of him when he wakes up._

_Then I'll ask Yukino to send a message to Makarov for me; she has a friend in Fairy Tail who can pass on the message, if I recall._

_And Dobengal... no, wait, I already did that. _

_And then..._ A smile formed on her face as she thought of this. _Then I'll sit down and have a nice long chat with those three. It's been years and they've changed so much. What have they been up to all these years..._

**Author's Note**

**Whew! Finally. Sorry if the chapter dropped in quality closer to the end, I was kinda... rushing it so that you guys wouldn't have to wait longer. No worries, I'll rewrite it later and make some fixes. I don't have much to say this time around, other than the next chapter will also take some time because of real life... Oh! Hey, any of you guys going to Anime Expo in Los Angeles this year? I'm gonna be there! And it's gonna be awesome. Anyways, until next time! *bows low* Gute Nacht!**

**Pokekid 25: Guess what? Updated! Hope you don't get too impatient for the next chapter. XP Jk, but thanks for being such a faithful reader. =D**

**Missjennifer54: The Gruvia, the Nalu, the... arghlshjf! And the dragons! THE DRAGONS!... well, I'm sure I can work that into this story's canon. Like Future Rogue. I really didn't see that one coming...**


	6. Ch 6: Little Bonds

**Kaia's Disclaimer****:** Um, ahem-hem! *reads cue cards* Fairy Tail is the rightful property of Mashima-sensei. In no way does the author of _Dragon's Advent_ own anything of it except for the OCs and original plot elements of this story. Please continue to support Fairy Tail by buying official manga volumes, official anime DVDs, and official affiliated merchandise. *grins* Capitalism, ho!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Little Bonds**

The first thing Elfman felt upon waking was just how sore his body was. It was nearly as bad as the aftermath of his match against Bacchus... except he wasn't entirely sure whether he was more injured then or now. _Probably then_, he mused. He wasn't covered in nearly as much bandages as that time; except maybe for his arm, but it was also firmly immobilized by a rather sturdy cast. And Evergreen wasn't sitting there by his bedside completely denying any claim that she was worried for him personally. He had a good chuckle before he caught himself and frowned at that out-of-nowhere thought. _Where did that come from?_ The next thing he noticed was just how much better he felt, once he got past the soreness. However long he had been out, it had evidently been long enough to fully recover from the poisoning.

At this he paused, trying to recall what exactly had happened before he lost consciousness. The Take Over mage remembered being swiftly carried to Sabertooth's headquarters, the unbelievably large castle they called home, but that was it. Exhausted by the day's events, he had almost immediately lost consciousness after making it to their doorstep.

Shaking his head, Elfman took a look at his surroundings. Besides his own, there were two other beds, both empty. Lined up against the stone walls were shelves and cabinets stuffed full of various medical supplies ranging from pill bottles to jars of herbs, and a single desk littered with papers and the typical objects a medic would likely possess. Judging by the insignia inscribed in the wooden door, he was still in Sabertooth headquarters as opposed to a hospital. Though the stone walls should've told him that anyways.

"Caw!" Startled, Elfman turned to see a large black bird perched on the sill of the open window, staring back at him. It looked for all the world like your typical crow, except for its size; it was easily the size of a peacock. And its wings, where the tips of its feathers were colored bright gold. And the wise gleam in its four eyes. And its extra leg.

The sight of the bird brought a grin to Elfman's face. "San! It's been awhile since I last saw you; I should have known you'd be here, too." The three-legged crow simply nodded before turning and hopped out the window, spreading its wings and gliding who-knows-where. Well, Elfman had a suspicion at least. With a sigh he lay back in the bed, still grinning.

That explained how Rillian had responded so fast. San must've told her they were coming before Lisanna and Mirajane reached her. The crow was a familiar sight, one from way back when he was a small child, when Rillian had first taken them in. He had no idea how long his old teacher had had San as a companion and she never seemed interested in telling them; she did, however, let them know that San's species was native to a country from the East. Not for the first time, he wondered just how _weird_ such a place must be if it had three-legged crows flying all over the place.

They probably dressed funny, too.

Ten minutes after San's departure, the doors burst open with a _bang_, giving Elfman a start. Lisanna and Mirajane were the first through, their expressions growing even brighter when they saw Elfman awake and grinning back at them. Rillian followed close behind, San perched on her shoulder; her expression, however, was carefully neutral, something that made Elfman a little wary. Still, even that little detail didn't stop that happy feeling from swelling up within him like some massive bubble; with his good arm he pulled his sisters into a crushing hug, ignoring the pain of his protesting bruises as they responded in kind.

After a moment, the three siblings pulled apart, grinning like fools. With a pang, Elfman realized that Mirajane was covered in nearly as many bandages as he was and his grin nearly faltered. But the look his elder sister gave him eased his worries; they were all here and whatever wounds they'd suffered would heal, after all. They were all still together, still _alive_, that was what mattered most.

"Good morning," Elfman said, breaking the silence. Lisanna giggled.

"Sorry, Elf-niichan, but it's already past noon... and seven days." The shocked expression on his face, combined with the relief and joy of his awakening, brought about another round of laughter. Even Rillian couldn't help but crack a smile. However, there was something she needed to talk to them about. Something that had been in waiting for far too long.

With an internal sigh, she schooled her expression into a stern look, clearing her throat for attention. At this, Mirajane and Lisanna instantly tensed; they looked at her, but didn't meet her eyes, guilty expressions on their faces. Elfman sensed the tension and gave his former teacher a wary look. San let out a quiet caw, but otherwise remained on Rillian's shoulder.

The silence extended for a few moments before she spoke. "Elfman, I heard about it from Mirajane and Lisanna, but I want to hear your side now. About what happened ten years ago, when you three went on a mission to hunt down a creature known as the 'king of monsters,' known also as The Beast..."

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

She was having the time of her life right now.

As usual, there was a brawl going on in the guild hall. It was utter chaos. Punches were thrown, tables and chairs were being tossed about, spells flying through the air, it was madness. But Kaia was enjoying every minute of it, cheering on her fellow Dragon Slayers. Mostly she was cheering Juvia, however, who had joined in because someone insulted her precious "Gray-sama" who was currently going toe-to-toe with Natsu, who was trying to fight him and Gajeel at the same time. Cana had drunkenly joined in as well, and judging by the bright flashes of light Rosa had been dragged into it too. Unfortunately Erza was out on a mission, so there was little stopping other members from jumping into the fight, especially those who wouldn't normally have for fear of risking Erza's wrath.

The day had started out so peaceful, too. Kaia and Asuka had been running around the guild hall trying to hit each other with water, Asuka armed with water pistols and uncannily good aim and Kaia with a watered-down version of her **Stream Shot**. Lucy and Levy were seated at one of the tables discussing Lucy's latest chapter, with Natsu looking bored nearby. Gajeel was keeping an eye on Kaia (and Asuka by extension), just like Juvia had asked him to before heading out to complete a request, so he was ignoring Natsu's half-hearted attempts to relieve his boredom by picking a fight. Gray and Nenetl were conversing about the upsides and downsides of their respective Molding Magics; Kinana figured it was lucky Juvia had been out while this was going on, or she would've added Net to her "Love Rival" list. Wendy had gone out to help Juvia and Romeo had gone along too, mostly because Wendy had asked him to.

What got the ball rolling was Natsu's decision to leave Gajeel alone and find a new source of entertainment while Lucy was busy. He and Happy decided to join Kaia and Asuka's game of Water Tag and, after somehow obtaining water pistols of their own, were quickly soaked thoroughly by the nimble, more accurate little girls. When Gajeel began laughing at the sight of a thoroughly soaked Natsu, the Fire Dragon Slayer sprayed him full-on in the face.

That then caused a chain reaction.

In retaliation, Gajeel picked Kaia up and set her on his shoulder with the instructions to "Blast the idiot into next week!" Not one to refuse such an idea, Kaia began peppering Natsu with **Water Dragon Stream Shot**, soaking him even further. In retaliation, Natsu tried to take the opportunity to shoot the little Dragon Slayer, but Gajeel stepped aside and the water flew past Kaia until it hit Net, the water dripping down and soaking the pages of her precious notebook. Angered by this, she sent a trio of clay birds at Natsu, who dodged, resulting in the attack accidentally striking Warren and Vjeeter.

Things had only gotten more chaotic from there, as misdirected blame and off-target attacks drew more and more people into the growing fight. Pantherlily had had to go in and pluck Kaia and Asuka out of the crowd before they got mixed into the fray, especially once Juvia returned with Romeo and Wendy in tow. Wendy, at least, was able to stay out of the fight; she was also doing her best to keep Kaia from jumping in and adding to the chaos. Romeo, despite his attempt to stay out of the tussle with Wendy, was dragged in when one of Bixlow's puppets accidentally blasted him instead of Wakaba. There was also the little detail that the attack might have hit Wendy instead if he hadn't been standing there, but Romeo did his best to keep that out of mind. Such thoughts would only complicate the happy friendship he shared with the Sky Dragon Slayer.

While the brawl raged on Kaia spared a quick glance at Wendy, whose arms were currently wrapped tightly around the Water Dragon Slayer and preventing her from joining the fun. Judging by the look on her face, Wendy was torn between worrying and cheering; Kaia didn't know _who _the older girl would cheer, but that didn't matter. What did was that her attention wasn't fully on her, which meant a possibility of escape! Slyly she glanced at the other onlookers, checking to see if they were paying attention to her.

The big black kitty-well, small kitty now-was with the three other Fairy Tail cats, all of them on the counter and watching the fight. Three of them were anyways; the grey one looked like she was sleeping. The black one looked amused, Charle was frowning for some reason, and the blue kitty was rooting for Natsu.

Near them was the tall blonde lady and the blue-haired lady. She didn't remember their names, but she did remember Gajeel's nicknames for them and for now knew them only by that. Bunny Girl had Asuka on her lap (who exchanged glances with Kaia, letting the Water Dragon Slayer know that she wanted to jump into the fun, too) and was talking about something with Shorty. She couldn't quite catch their words over the noise of the chaos, but she heard Natsu and Gajeel being mentioned and something about idiots. _That's right! Anyone who fights 'em are idiots! Except Juvia, she can definitely beat them up if they challenged her! And Gray, I guess. He's cool, too._

Nodding to herself she looked on Wendy's other side to see a green haired man with funny lightning bolt-shaped antenna sticking out of his head and... she had no idea if that person next to him was a guy or girl. The waitress lady who liked to give her and Asuka milk was there, too, on the other side of the counter. But none of them were looking at her.

Grinning, Kaia puffed up her cheeks as they began filling with water before squirming enough to get a good line of sight at Wendy's face and spraying her with water. Caught off guard, Wendy's hold on Kaia loosened just enough for the Water Dragon Slayer to happily slip out of her grasp and leap right into the fray.

"Kaia-chan!" Wendy cried out, just as the girl disappeared into the crowd. Her expression was firmly set on worried now and just before she jumped in to find her Verity had already put a hand on her shoulder, holding her back. She looked up at the Charm Mage, who shook his/her head.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine; her babysitter is still technically on duty."

Indeed, as Kaia began firing bursts of water at anyone and everyone she could see, she suddenly felt herself being lifted by the back of her shirt. Caught by surprise, she barely resisted as Gajeel raised the girl to eye level, raising a metal-studded eyebrow at her as she grinned at him. "What d'ya think yer doing, Tiny?"

Her grin disappeared into a pout. "I'm not Tiny, I'm Kaia!"

"Yeah, yeah, but you didn't answer me, Tiny," he pointed out and she continued to pout at him in stubborn silence. He matched her glare with a light glare of his own and the two of them ignored the chaos raging around them in favor of their little glaring contest. At least Natsu was being kept busy fighting Gray and everyone else who, willingly or not, got caught up in the age old battle between fire and ice.

Gajeel grinned. Kaia was still stubbornly glaring and pouting simultaneously at him, even with his own glare-one that could make many a mage flee in terror-focused on her. Admittedly it was a watered-down glare, as he didn't want to traumatize the kid, but still a glare from _him_, the Iron Dragon Slayer with a rap sheet longer than Natsu's, would've made any other child start crying. Except maybe Asuka; barely one week and already Kaia was shaping up to be a... well, some kind of influence, on her.

The Dragon Slayer chuckled. "What, aren't ya gonna say somethin' Ti-" He was interrupted as Kaia opened her mouth and blasted his face with a torrent of water. This, unfortunately, did nothing to make him let go and once her surprise attack subsided, she was left staring at a rather grumpy-looking, thoroughly soaked Gajeel. The sight gave her a serious case of the giggles; he merely raised an eyebrow before suddenly locking her against his side with one arm and rubbing her head with the knuckles of his free hand, cackling madly.

"Gihihihihihi! This'll teach ya to interrupt me like that!"

"Gah! Ack! Ow ow ow ow!" Kaia cried out, struggling to free herself from his criminally strong hold. Her voice was lost among the noise of the rest of the brawl, and Gajeel happily continued to give her a well-deserved noogie. "Nooooooooo! Augh!"

This continued on for a couple more minutes when Kaia decided to try a new strategy. Remembering the incident that had started the whole fight, she did her best to ignore Gajeel's noogies and scanned the crowd for a certain pink-haired mage. Spying his unmistakable pink spikes, she quickly open her mouth and fired off a well-aimed burst of water that caught him in the face as he turned to avoid one of Gray's attacks. Soaked once more, Natsu looked up to see a cackling Gajeel with Kaia under his arm and came to the only sensible solution: he was using their fellow Dragon Slayer to mock him again! With an indignantly angry shout, he launched himself at the Iron Dragon Slayer who promptly dropped Kaia as he raised his arms to block his attack.

Laughing to herself, Kaia quickly scurried away only to be caught by Gray, who frowned at her. She grinned back sheepishly, already knowing the question going through his head. Without a word he simply picked her up, slung her over his shoulder, and walked right out of the brawl, ignoring her protests all the while. Finding himself an empty barstool, he smoothly seated himself and simultaneously transferred Kaia to his lap, where he kept her pinned by wrapped his arms around the little girl. "There. Now you can't go causing trouble again."

Kaia struggled but to no avail. She was effectively stuck, and she couldn't even turn her head enough to spray water in his face! With an angry huff she just sat there watching the battle, too grumpy to cheer. Wendy, seeing her expression, would have gone over to try cheer her up but Gray shook his head. He had the feeling Kaia would be as troublesome as Natsu was when he was a kid; they needed to put a stop to some habits, _fast_. One destructive Dragon Slayer was enough; at least Laxus and Gajeel could keep themselves from levelling entire towns, and Wendy was not the sort of person to fly off the handle like that anyways (he hoped she wouldn't; he knew that the nicest ones were usually the scariest ones). So he kept her there with him until the chaos slowly began dying down and members just dropped to the floor or staggered away to drape themselves over tables and chairs, exhausted but smiling.

Gray watched out of the corner of his eye as Wendy worriedly hurried over to where Romeo sat slumped in a chair, looking worse for the wear but grinning proudly. As she began tending to his injuries, ignoring his half-hearted protests, Gray chuckled. Romeo might just have found a new excuse to spend time with the Sky Maiden outside of missions.

Meanwhile, Kaia managed to successfully slip free of his grasp and dashed over to where Juvia sat, babbling excitedly and giving the Water Mage as much praise as a 7-year-old could think of. For once, Juvia wasn't immediately slinking over to Gray's side, or even staring at him from behind a pillar; her attention was wholly on the little girl in front of her. He took note of Juvia's expression as she interacted with Kaia. She had a gentle smile on her face, her eyes sparkling as she listened to Kaia's enthusiastic praise, and didn't seem to mind at all when Kaia clambered eagerly into her lap. _And to think, it's only been a little more than a week since we met her_, Gray thought with a smile of his own. She definitely wasn't as uncomfortable around Kaia as she used to; he had the feeling Kaia was doing her best to make Juvia feel comfortable around her, too, after their awkward first meeting. Well, there was still some awkwardness, as Juvia probably wasn't yet _fully_ adjusted to living with a child (especially one who gave her so much attention!).

"Those two are good for each other, no?" Gray whirled around to see Makarov sitting on the bar, chuckling. His eyes were on Juvia and her charge as well, shining softly with an affectionate gleam as his gaze traveled across the rest of the guild, seeing his children laughing and smiling together. From Juvia and Kaia as the girl let out a tired yawn that showed off her fangs, to Lucy forcing Natsu to apologize to Nenetl for soaking the pages of her notebook, to Macao and Wakaba (with assistance from Happy) teasing a blushing Romeo as Wendy checked on Rosa and Cana, to Verity handing a sleepy Asuka to her parents, to a cackling Gajeel mocking Natsu's predicament until Levy pulled his ear and berated him; the love in his eyes for all the misfit children of Fairy Tail was clear to anyone. "It's good that Juvia was willing to let Kaia stay with her; to be honest, I don't think anyone else would have sufficed for such a task."

"Really?"

Makarov nodded, a small smile on his wrinkled face as he watched Kaia curling up on Juvia's lap, tired from the day's excitement. "From what I can see, Kaia needs someone who she can trust will be there for her and will not abandon her. Juvia is doing a much better job getting her to open up than I had hoped... which is a good thing, by the way. You've probably noticed already, but Juvia is the kind of person who would give her all to take care of and stay close to the people she loves. Whether friends or even," he gave Gray a sly wink, "someone she's fallen for. She did make the decision to stay with local requests, even though requests that would take her outside of Magnolia often have much more substantial rewards. And that decision ensured that she would always be nearby if Kaia needed her."

"Anyone would have been willing to make that decision," Gray said, frowning. "Besides, what do you mean by 'open up'? Kaia doesn't seem like a shy kid at all."

"Juvia told me about her loneliness as she grew up; if there's anyone at all who understands what that little girl is feeling, it's her, even if she doesn't realize it," Makarov replied. "Before meeting you and Juvia, and Wendy and Romeo and Charle, Kaia lost the only parent she ever knew. Who knows how long she was wandering until she was frozen? When I talked to her, Kaia told me that the only thing she remembers before waking up is finding out that her mother was gone. Her actions with you guys while at Lynberg were probably her way of coping with that loss. But now? There's probably been enough time for everything to sink in and how do you think she would feel if she thought that she might suffer from a loss like that again? She acts cheerful, Gray, but she's a lonely child at heart. Though I must admit, Juvia's actions weren't the only factor," he chuckled. "Everyone's acceptance of her helped, too. Do you remember what you thought when Natsu first talked about his father Igneel?"

Gray looked away guiltily. "Yeah... we all thought he was just making things up."

"And that made him feel isolated and frustrated, because no one would believe him. But he hid it well. This time, on the other hand, everyone accepted Kaia without question, now that the existence of dragons is no longer considered a mere flight of fancy, except by the most isolated of places. And she has fellow Dragon Slayers who share her pain and are more than happy to make her feel welcome. But out of everyone, Kaia still trusts Juvia more. I bet you already know why." Makarov stretched and stood up, the diminutive master of Fairy Tail hopping off the counter and turning back to Gray. "She also likes you a lot more than you probably realize." With that statement he hummed and walked away, leaving behind a speechless Gray.

Before Gray could ask what Makarov meant, a sudden cry drew his attention. "Gray-sama, help! Juvia's being eaten!"

What he saw was a tearful Juvia trying to get Kaia to release her hand, as the little Dragon Slayer-who he realized was fast asleep-had it in her mouth. And judging by Juvia's reaction, she was probably chewing on it too. It didn't take long for Gray to put the pieces together and he ended up chuckling as he walked over to the poor Water Mage, crouching to get a good look at Kaia's sleeping face. The girl was mumbling something incoherent around Juvia's hand, but it didn't seem like she was seriously trying to devour her. He poked her forehead, resulted in Kaia's expression turning slightly annoyed, but still asleep. Another poke earned him a sleepy growl but she still didn't wake. He frowned. "Huh. She _really_ doesn't want to let go, does she?"

Juvia still look worried, but Gray had an idea. Putting his hands together, he crafted a sizable lollipop of ice and wiggled it tantalizingly in Kaia's face. Her nose twitched and she mumbled a little more, but otherwise gave no sign that she was going to release Juvia anytime soon. Gray wiggled it some more, but didn't get much more reaction than that. He frowned again before getting another idea. "Juvia, what kinds of vegetables does Kaia hate?"

"W-What?"

"Don't worry, it's important; it might be the key to getting her to let go before she... you know." Gray made a vague gesture and Juvia's face paled. "I remember at the buffet in Lynberg she was eating _everything_ but I can't remember the stuff she left alone. Is there anything you've had for dinner yet that she didn't want to eat?"

Ignoring her panic for the moment, Juvia thought on it until her eyes widened and she nodded furiously. "Juvia remembers!"

"Great, what is it?"

"Carrots."

Gray blinked. "Carrots?"

"Yes."

"Didn't expect that answer," he muttered before jogging over to the bar counter. "Hey Kinana, do you have any carrots?"

She shook her head. "I think Droy might be able to help you, though. He's over there with Jet," she added, pointing over to a table in a shadowy corner. Nodding his thanks, Gray flashed Juvia a quick reassuring grin before reaching the duo. From what he could see, they weren't moping at all, but were still shooting Gajeel dirty looks. The Ice Make mage wasn't certain if this was because they were being overprotective of Levy or jealous that she was spending so much time with him lately, but that was a matter to figure out at another time. "Yo, Droy, Kinana told me you could get me some carrots?"

Droy took a break from glaring at an unknowing (or, far more likely, uncaring) Gajeel to give Gray a puzzled look. "Carrots? Why do you-"

"Long story short, Kaia's trying to eat Juvia in her sleep and we need carrots to get her to let go," Gray explained quickly. "You've been keeping contact with that Bess girl from Mermaid Heel, right? I seem to recall a spell of hers involving carrots..."

"It's Beth, and yeah, she did send me some of her carrot seeds and we exchanged a few spells," Droy said, pulling out a single Live-Coal Container. He beckoned for Gray to take a step back before tossing it on the ground; with a burst of magical energy, a flurry of giant, bright-orange carrots shot towards him in an uncomfortably familiar manner. Without missing a beat, Jet was out of his seat in a flash and caught all the carrots in a matter of seconds, even showing off a little by grabbing the last one just before it reached Gray. To his credit, Gray hadn't flinched, figuring that was their plan; he merely took one of the carrots, nodded his thanks, and jogged back to Juvia to allow the duo to continue glaring at Gajeel's back.

"Alright, let's see if this works," he said and promptly began waving the carrot under Kaia's nose. For the first minute or so, her nose merely twitched; as she continued to take in its scent, however, her expression grew more and more agitated and her incoherent mumbles turned into full-on growls. Then Gray saw his chance as her mouth opened just enough for him to pull out Juvia's hand... and replace it with the carrot. The moment her teeth came into contact with the vegetable, Kaia's eyes snapped open and she let out a horrified scream. As other Fairy Tail members began gathering around, wondering what was going on, Kaia spat out the carrot and began dramatically trying to spit the flavor out. Gray caught the vegetable before it hit the ground, grinning at the girl as she shot the carrot a venomous glare.

"Ablamonatin! It's a ablomation!" she said, glaring at the offending orange vegetable as though it had just tried to kill her. She was probably trying to say "abomination" but one, she _was_ only seven and her grasp of big words wasn't too great yet, and two, she was still trying to spit out whatever was left of its taste in her mouth. "It's gross! Gross gross gross gross gross! "

Her less-than-favorable reaction to the vegetable elicited a round of laughter from the guild members. Gray held it up as though offering it to her and Kaia immediately tried to shoot it out of his hand. Having already figured she'd do that, Gray easily moved his hand so that her shot missed and waggled the offending orange veggie with a grin. "C'mon Kaia, it's not like it's gonna kill you. Take a bite!"

"No!" Kaia responded with a glare.

Gray then held up an ice lollipop in his other hand. "I'll give you this if you do."

"No!"

He put his hand behind his back, and when he pulled it back out there were now two lollipops. "How about now?"

"N-No..." The little Dragon Slayer's resistance was wavering and Gray then decided to up the ante. After putting his hand behind his back, he then revealed no less than _five_ lollipops made of ice in his hand.

"Just take a nice, big bite of the carrot, Kaia. That's all."

Kaia was obviously feeling conflicted by this point. Her eyes flicked between the temptation of an icy treat and the vileness of the horrid veggie, her brow scrunched in thought. Then, with a resigned sigh, she nodded solemnly. As Gray handed her the carrot, he noted the expression on her face was like she was facing her final confrontation, the last boss, a battle from which she may not return. Normally such an expression wouldn't be considered funny in any way, but given the current context Gray found it hard to resist laughing. Evidently he wasn't the only one, but Juvia was looking fascinated as Kaia took a tentative sniff of the carrot and, uttering a growl and squeezing her eyes shut, took a nice, big bite out of it. She chewed slowly, looking greener and greener with each passing second, even as the Fairy Tail members began cheering her on.

"Go, Kaia! You can do it!"

"Show that carrot who's boss!"

"Gihi! C'mon Tiny, don't give up now!"

"Just think of the lollis!"

Kaia bravely continued on, even as she looked increasingly like she wanted to spit it out. The _crunch_ of the carrot bits as she chewed on it was unmistakable. Finally, with a great, dramatic shudder, Kaia swallowed and gave a weak but triumphant grin, holding out her hands for her reward. As the guild burst into loud cheers for Kaia's success, Gray chuckled and handed her the treats, all five of which Kaia proceeded to jam into her mouth. Still chuckling, he put a hand on her head and ruffled the girl's hair. "Good job, kid. Hey, I've got a deal; whenever you eat carrots, tell me and I'll whip up some more treats like that for you. How's that sound?"

Kaia nodded, her mouth too full of icy candy to speak properly. Gray ruffled her hair again before noticing Juvia looking at him with awe. This wasn't quite the expression he was used to seeing her looking at him with; admiration certainly, but awe was a little new for him. "Gray-sama got Kaia to eat a carrot," Juvia said, awe in her voice. "Juvia kept trying, but even telling Kaia that eating carrots will make her big and strong didn't work."

"Really?" Gray said, surprised. "But this is Kaia we're talking about. I thought she's the kind of kid who..." As realization hit him, he whirled around to see Kaia smirking at him innocently, a devious gleam in her eye as she continued sucking on the lollipops. He snorted in amusement. "Huh. Looks like I've been had." _Bisca, Alzack, if Kaia begins rubbing off on Asuka, you better make sure she knows better than to mimic her!_

"Maybe Juvia should be bribing Kaia too when I need her to do something she doesn't want to do," Juvia contemplated, completely and utterly serious as she considered the idea.

"No no no no no, bad idea," Gray admonished. "You just gotta make sure she knows what she should and shouldn't do."

"When did you become such an expert on kids, Gray?" Net joked, walking up to them with pen and journal in hand. As soon as Juvia began giving her the evil eye she took a couple steps back, retreating to a safer distance that wouldn't incur her wrath. "Been planning to be a father?"

"G-Gray-sama... a f-f-father..."

"Stop thinking weird thought!" Gray scolded as Juvia's face turned a brilliant shade of red before he turned to Net. "No, it's just common sense. It's what I learned."

A loud bark of laughter drew his attention as Natsu fell out of a chair, cackling madly. "You actually learned something, droopy eyes?"

"You're one to talk, slant-eyes!"

"Why you-!"

"Wait, don't start another fight now!" Lucy yelled, smacking Natsu upside the head. "Besides, it's getting late. Didn't you say you wanted to take on a request tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah! C'mon, Happy!"

"Aye! C'mon, Lucy!"

"I'm fine walking home on my own, you know."

"Yeah, but it's faster to just all go together! Let's go!" Ignoring Lucy's protests, Natsu grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him as he and Happy charged out the doors and into the night. Gray sigh and shook his head.

"They should just go out already."

Kinana nodded in agreement as she put away mugs and cups, locking cabinets as she went along. "They get along so well, don't they?"

"I can think of others who should hook up already, too," Net added, giving Gray a dark look that he ignored. Noticing Jet and Droy deep in muttered conversation as they exited the guild hall, she looked around. "Hey, where's Gajeel?"

"He and Lily already left; Levy left with them if that's what you're wondering," Kinana said, answering the Clay-Make mage's unspoken question. "Macao and Romeo left, too, but I remember hearing him tell Romeo to 'Be a gentleman and escort little Wendy-chan home.'"

"Well, that answers all my questions," Net muttered, putting her pen and journal away. As she left along with Rosa and Verity, Gray turned to Juvia, who was already supporting a sleepy Kaia.

"You should head off, too. I bet Kaia's exhausted."

Juvia nodded, smiling gently as she lifted Kaia into her arms. Immediately the little girl rested her head on the Water Mage's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her neck, muttering something that made Juvia giggle. "Yes, Kaia, but it's time for bed. I'm sure Asuka will be happy to play with you again tomorrow."

The sight of them brought a smile to Gray's face. "I'll walk you to the dorms. C'mon, it's not getting any earlier."

Without her usual antics, Juvia simply nodded, preoccupied by the little Dragon Slayer sleeping in her arms. As they left, Kinana could help but let out a small giggle of her own as she went to rouse a drunken Cana. The romance in the air at Fairy Tail was substantially greater than before, what with so many potential couples around and nearly everyone playing matchmaker to some extent. A sad smile came to her face as she thought about why.

_The appearance of the dragons at the Grand Magic Games... that really opened our eyes. As mages, just because we're powerful doesn't mean we're immune to death. And there's no worse way to go than to die and leave unspoken things that should be said._ The thought brought to mind her own special person, which made her smile considerably warmer.

_I do hope he's okay... wherever he is. I'm still waiting for you, and I will wait as long as I have to until I see you again._

**Author's Notes**

**Phew, I'm beat. Might take a bit for the next chapter. I'm trying to pace myself, make sure things aren't moving too fast, but also make sure it ain't too slow. Either way, things are gonna be picking up speed so hold on tight! The main plot is rearing its ugly head, and everyone will be drawn into the inevitable conflict! stay tuned! *bows* Gute Nacht!**

**EDIT: WHAAAAT I made a slight edit?! No way! Well no worries, this is all part of the plan! Cobra will show up, buuuut will it be next chapter or the chapter after? I'm not telling yet! Stay tuned while I go work on Chapter 7!**


	7. Ch 6,5: The Calm Before

**Juvia's Disclaimer: **Fairy Tail doesn't belong to Kajinendo-san, it is Mashima-sensei's story. All OC's and the plot of this fanfic belong to Kajinendo-san! *glare* B-But Gray-sama is Juvia's and only Juvia's! I won't let any love rivals steal him from me!

* * *

**Chapter 6.5: The Calm Before**

"...and when I came to, Nee-chan told me that Lisanna... that she was gone."

"But later we found out that she wasn't dead, she had instead been transported to a world called Edolas," Mirajane added. "I don't know much about Edolas, honestly. I only know what I've heard from Lisanna and the others in our guild who were conscious for what happened at that time."

"Don't worry, I know plenty about Edolas," Rillian said, to their surprise. The old woman gave the three of them a stern look that sent chills down their spines, and even San shifted uncomfortably on her shoulder. "But I am disappointed. In all of you. It is a miracle that Lisanna truly didn't die; didn't you listen when I told you? When I warned you _not to Take Over anything you have little chance of controlling_? Mirajane, you were the one who had encouraged everyone to take the quest, weren't you?"

The barmaid nodded, hanging her head in shame. She remembered when she was as reckless as Natsu, those days when she only chose missions she felt would challenge her power. Only the best of the S-Class requests would do for her! She had been so confident, she often brought Elfman and Lisanna with her for the ride. That request to hunt down The Beast had been a major wake-up call.

"I am glad that you know better now, but that doesn't change the fact that what had happened shouldn't have happened. You were lucky it wasn't something worse that opened your eyes." Rillian watched with a frown as they avoided her gaze, shame written clearly on their faces. Lisanna and Elfman were on the verge of tears; Mirajane was doing a better job of keeping her tears in check. After a moment, Rillian reached out and ruffled their hair one by one, her face breaking into a small, gentle smile. "But we are powerless to change the past, so all I can say now is that I am glad nothing worse did happen. You know better, that's all that matters now."

"So... you're not mad?" Elfman asked tentatively, eliciting a laugh from his former teacher.

"Well, when I managed to extract the details from Lisanna and Mirajane, I certainly was angry. However, I had decided to wait until you were awake before scolding anyone, which allowed me time to cool my head and fully take into consideration the reasons behind your actions." She held up a finger. "But don't think you are completely off the hook. Once Elfman is fully healed, I am going to ask Makarov to allow me to take you three under my wing once more so we can begin the next phase of your training."

They gaped at her wordlessly. "Wait, what? Really?" Lisanna exclaimed, her shock mirrored by her siblings. "But... our duties... and you're Sabertooth's Master..."

Rillian waved a hand dismissively. "If you're worried about paying your rent back in Magnolia, don't worry. I'll send San with payment from my own personal funds to cover it. I rarely dip into my savings anyways; I doubt it'll make too much of a difference. And this actually works well into my plans. I will select a few candidates to take charge in my absence, with the assurance that I will receive continuous updates. Remember, my position here is _temporary_ and I'd rather like to be travelling again. Perhaps even visit your guild hall, I hear it's quite lively.

"However," she continued, "I remember you telling me that you are currently teaching a student of your own, correct, Mirajane?" When she nodded, Rillian continued. "You may bring her along as well, but I will not be the one training her. _You_ will do that, as you have been, and I will occasionally supervise." Her smile widened. "I wish to see whether Taking Over demons isn't the only thing you learned from me." Mirajane blushed slightly from the implied praise and nodded meekly.

"Sensei," Elfman began, noting how odd it was that she was no longer their former teacher and was simply their teacher again, "when you said 'next phase' does this mean everything you already taught us is only part of what we need to know?"

Rillian nodded. "I'm certain you already learned quite a bit since I last trained you all, so before training formally begins I shall test your strengths. I learned some new things myself during my travels; there is more to Take Over magic than meets the eye. And what I will teach you will not only strengthen you, it will improve and expand your spells.

"That's all I'll tell you for now. Once Elfman is fully recovered, then I will fill you in on the rest of the details. And don't worry, I don't expect you to stay here while that is going on. I received word from your midget Master; he's already sent someone to escort you guys home. I think he said his name is... Lackey... Lapis..."

"Laxus is coming? Here?" Mirajane exclaimed, grinning from head to toe. At Rillian's raised eyebrow, she giggled and answered her unspoken question. "Ever since me and one of my guildmates started grilling everyone for information on their love lives, Laxus has been avoiding me like the plague." A devious gleam came into her eyes and she clasped her hands with a wicked cackle. "There's no escape for him this time!"

"We definitely have more catching up to do," Rillian laughed. "The three of you have changed since I saw you last. I don't remember you being so into gossip, Mirajane. And it will be interesting to hear more about Fairy Tail, as I hear it has been involved in some big things lately." She seated herself on the edge of Elfman's bed and Lisanna and Mirajane followed her example, Mira bursting to tell her all the juicy details she'd gathered about her guildmates. San hopped off his partner's shoulder and into Lisanna's lap, cawing happily as he settled himself.

"So let's see, where shall we start... oh yes, I know. Tell me, are any of you in a relationship yet?" Rillian asked, amused when she saw Elfman turning a nice shade of red. Seeing their brother's reaction to her question, Lisanna and Mirajane couldn't resist giggling, though Lisanna tried to hold it in. The old woman shot Elfman a teasing grin. "Oh so you found yourself a nice girl, Elfman? When were you planning on telling me, after the wedding?"

"N-No! I don't have a relationship like that yet," Elfman said, shaking his head furiously in his embarrassment. His teacher's teasing made him feel like a child again, when Rillian had teased that he was learning to cook to impress a cute girl even while teaching him how to cook. _Maybe being with us again makes her feel younger, too_, Elfman mused but he knew better than to bring up her age. "And it wouldn't be manly to tell you such a thing so late!"

"Oh don't be shy, Elfman," Mira chimed in, waving a hand airily at her brother before turning to Rillian with a knowing smile. "He is _deeply_ in love with a woman at our guild who is just as stubborn as he is. They get along so well, even their arguing is lovey-dovey!"

"Nee-chan!" Elfman said indignantly, his face turning redder. Then he had an idea. "What about you?"

"Me?" Mira laughed. "Sorry Elfman, but I don't-"

"Wait, but didn't you and Laxus-san get along _really_ well? I think you guys even went out a couple times when we were younger," Lisanna said, and she and Elfman grinned when Mira's face turned a vibrant cherry-red color.

"That was a long time ago, that doesn't-"

Rillian interrupted. "Laxus is that blonde man with the spiky hair and the lightning-shaped scar, correct?" When Lisanna nodded, Rillian snapped her fingers with a smile of her own. "I remember now, weren't you and him on the same team, Mirajane? I remember reading some articles about the Grand Magic Games; _Sorcerer Weekly_ had a field day questioning if the Master's grandson and Fairy Tail's beauty were secretly an item."

Mira had no idea what to say at this point. Sure she knew about those articles, but she usually paid them no mind (unless they were about other potential couples in the guild, in which case she gushed over them, often with happy squeeing). What got to her was that not only was her teacher joining in the teasing, but appaprently had read those articles too! Never would she have imagined _Rillian_, of all people, poring over gossip columns.

Seeing the blank look on Mira's face, Rillian laughed and patted her head, just like she used to when she was a kid. "Hmph, what kind of old woman do you think I am? Giggling over celebrity gossip, I am not and never will be that kind of person, Mirajane." A warm smile came onto her face. "I only read it because I noticed it was talking about you. I read the articles about Elfman and Lisanna, too... which is how I discovered Lisanna used to be considered dead, by the way. Took me some time to catch up with everything that happened in Fiore while I was away."

"What were you doing that kept you away for so long anyway, Rillian-sensei?" Lisanna asked while stroking a contentedly cooing San's feathers.

"That's a story for later; right now I'm more interested in the love lives of you three," said Rillian. "Speaking of which, what about you, Lisanna? Last I heard, you had quite an adorable crush on a certain Fire Dragon Slayer. How is that coming along?"

The girl dipped her head, a sad smile on her face as she continued gently stroking San's feathers. Sensing her change in mood, San looked up at her and let out a worried caw. "We're just friends. That's all."

"I see." Rillian put an arm around Lisanna's shoulders, letting her lean on her as she gently stroked her hair. Lisanna closed her eyes, remembering the familiar action. Whenever she had been upset or feeling down, Rillian would gently pull her to her side and begin stroking her hair; she even sang sometimes and Lisanna always felt better afterwards. She had missed Rillian's silent reassurances that everything would be alright. Mirajane and Elfman looked on with small smiles, having seen Rillian comfort Lisanna like this many times before in the past.

"Don't worry, Lisanna; sometimes one will go through many loves in their lifetime before they finally find their special person," the old woman said softly and Lisanna just nodded. Mirajane gave Rillian a curious look.

"Did you ever find your special someone, Sensei?"

Rillian paused for a moment before giving a wistful sigh and continuing to stroke the youngest sibling's hair. "Once. At one time, I believed I had. But I willingly gave it up."

"Why?" Elfman asked and Rillian shook her head.

"Again, another story for another time. Right now, I simply wish to hear more about what you children have been up to while I was gone."

Knowing that they weren't going to get their questions answered any time soon, the eldest siblings merely nodded and conversation struck up once more. They moved on past the topic of their love lives (for which all three siblings were extremely grateful), talking about them and their guild, the adventures, the celebrations, the brawls, the laughter and happiness. But they also talked about the sad things that happened, from the guilt and depression they felt when they thought they had lost Lisanna to the crushing pain of when they learned about all that had been lost during the seven years they'd been missing.

Through it all Rillian listened attentively, occasionally making a comment or asking questions. She nearly gave Lisanna a heart-attack when she suddenly started growling while being told about Phantom Lord's assault. But when she heard about Elfman's first fight against Sol and how he subsequently gained control over **Beast Soul** the look she gave him was so full of pride that he turned red from embarrassment. And when they finished telling her about when the three of them were reunited, she simply smiled and pulled them into a warm embrace, wrapping her strong arms around them.

They continued to talk for hours, never noticing the passage of time.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

While the reunited family was catching up, there was another sort of conversing going on in the dungeons.

"_Non non non_! I shall not speak a word! Not a one! _Non_! _Non non non non n-_"

"Shut up!" _Bzzzzzzt!_

"_Eeeeeeeeyaaaaaa-oooo-ooo-o-o-oooo_!"

"Um, Orga... as much as I know you admire his yodeling, could you hold back a little? We need him to talk, we can't interrogate a dead guy."

"Oh, right." Immediately he cut off the flow of black electricity, leaving a visibly relieved-but thoroughly singed-Sol sitting in the chair he was securely strapped to. "Sorry Dobengal."

"Don't worry about it. It's just that the last thing I want is to get Master angry."

The both of them shivered at the thought, recalling separate events. Dobengal was thinking about when Rillian came back with Sol slung over her shoulder, telling them to toss him in the dungeons for her because she was likely to kill him if he remained in her presence for much longer. And Orga was remembering when he had cockily challenged Rillian, forgetting what had happened the last time he thought he could take on one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Needless to say, he'd learned his place since then. Especially since she had been more brutal than Jura in taking him down.

"The little man's tougher than he looks," Orga commented as Sol found his voice and began another round of protests. "How many times is it now?"

Dobengal shrugged. "I lost count after fifty. If this guy really has any valuable information, he's not giving it up easily."

His comment earned a snort in reply. "_If_ is the key word here."

"I'm pretty sure Master wouldn't be terribly disappointed if it turns out he doesn't know anything; she's not exactly subtle about wanting to tear him limb from limb." Orga and Dobengal nodded in greeting as Sting and Lector stopped outside the cell door, looking at them from the other side of the bars. "So he _still _isn't talking?"

"Nope," Dobengal answered, letting out a small sigh. "It's weird, when he woke up he was screaming about a monster or something, but now it seems like his courage has returned to him."

"Then you guys aren't doin' your job right!" Lector chastised, waving a little paw scoldingly at the two interrogators. "You're being way too easy on him!"

"I said this to Orga earlier, we need him alive and conscious if we want to get any information out of him," Dobengal said wearily. Then he perked up. "Wait, I know. Sting, if you can get Rogue, if he submerged this guy in nothing but shadows and left him alone for a while, then maybe..."

"Sorry, but Rogue's out on a date with Yukino right now," Sting said with a grin. He was happy that his best friend/brother had found a mate, even if it did mean they didn't hang out together as much as they used to. Next to him Lector just made a face; the Exceed wasn't as enthusiastic about it as Sting after accidentally walking in on one of the couple's private moments, but Frosch (who often went with Rogue on his dates, being almost as fond of Yukino as she was of Rogue) was helping him warm up to their relationship again. "I'll let him know you want his help when they get back."

Orga nodded. "Thanks."

At that moment it seemed Sol had fully recovered from his electrotherapy and promptly began protesting once more. "You cannot hold me here! No matter what you do, I will say nothing! Nothing! _Non_!"

Sting cast Sol a bored look, completely and utterly unimpressed. "You don't say? Well, you probably don't have much to say anyways. I bet you're so low-ranked no one tells you anything, huh? And to think you used to be considered such a _great_ mage, one of the famous Element Four. I guess it fits a lowlife like you, though."

The only response he got to his statement was an indignant glare from the Earth mage. _How dare he!_ Sol thought angrily, his pride wounded. "I am still the great _Monsieur _Sol! I-"

"'Great'? That's a good one," Orga chuckled, infuriating Sol further.

"_Non non non_! I will not take this from you plebeians! I am an important man!"

"Sure you are," Dobengal said with a bored drawl.

"I am!" If Sol could have broken free of his restraints, he would have so that he could throttle the fools with his bare hands. "The Master trusts me too! I know the plan that will bring us to glory, Master trusts me with it too! I know just as much about it as the _Mesdemoiselles_ Belgarde! Just because they are Master's favorites does not mean they know more than _moi_!"

Pausing for breath, Sol then realized something was wrong. Sting was grinning at him triumphantly and only then did the Earth mage realize his mistake. The White Dragon Slayer turned to Dobengal and Orga, giving them a nod. "You heard him. He does have important info, it'd be a shame if he didn't share it. Anyways, good luck you guys. Me and Lector are gonna go take care of some stuff."

As they left, Orga and Dobengal grinned wickedly at a rather nervous Sol, sweat starting to flow like waterfalls as they loomed over him.

Oh this was not going to be pleasant.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0

"We have to do something. He's one of us, we can't just leave him."

"I never liked the guy, who cares about him?"

"Idiot! Yer fergettin' dat 'e knows what we know an' we know dat 'e knows what we know so y'know-"

"Goddammit, stop doing that! It's annoying!"

"Enough." The voice was soft, but powerful, and before it had even finished speaking the other voices fell into respective silence. The silence was allowed to linger a moment longer before the voice spoke up again. "Tiama, your thoughts?"

A soft voice, like ocean waves washing gently upon the shore. "Even the greatest reef will wither and die if a single piece is missing from the cycle."

A rough voice, like two swords scraping each other's blade. "The hell does that mean?"

A loud voice, like a storm raging wildly across the land. "It means we're goin' after 'im!... It does, don't it?"

A deep voice, like the endless caverns beneath the earth. "As I said, he is one of us. Of course we are going after him."

The powerful voice spoke. "Then we are of one mind. Are we not, Anshur?"

"...Yeah, fine. Still don't like that idiot... but that doesn't change that he's one of us."

"Hold a minute, who're we sendin' to get 'im? De sisters haven't come back, 'ave dey?"

"Mu, remember that speed is a valuable asset to a predator who cannot wait patiently for their prey."

"Lahm, can you translate? I never understand her and her ocean metaphors..."

"She wants to send Taran."

"Ooooh good choice, Ti!"

"Him?! Of all people..."

"It is a good choice, An."

"'E's right, ya know! If anyone's gonna get 'im out quick, it'll be Taran!"

"All in favor," the other voices fell silent as the powerful voice spoke once more, "raise your hand." There was a rustle of movement and in the darkness of the room four symbols glowed an ominous violet color, each symbol a single curved fang. "It is settled. We shall send Zerafiel to retrieve Sol."

In the empty space at the top of the ring formed by the four symbols, a fifth one glowed, completing the circle. "We are of one will and of one mind."

The soft voice. "We are united, where one turns the rest shall follow."

The rough voice. "We are strong, none can stand before our might."

The loud voice. "We are fearless, from no challenge will we flee."

The deep voice. "We are loyal, should one fall we shall avenge them."

Suddenly more symbols began lighting up in the darkness, all around the ring of five. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of violet fangs glowing brightly in the darkness and only getting brighter as more and more lit up around them. All the voices spoke at once, joined by the voices of all those around them.

"We are Hydra Fang."

**Author's Notes**

**Whoa-hoa-hoa! Short chapter, I know, like only half as long as usual, but this is pretty much filler before the proper Chapter 7, hence "6.5." I'm hoping to plan a big showdown next chapter so if you're already suffering from Kaia-withdrawal, sorry but you're gonna have to suffer just a bit longer! And about my question... I decided (now that I am running on a decent amount of sleep and can think properly) to do both ideas! I already did a bit of snipping if you noticed; if you didn't, go back and look at the end of Chapter 6 again really quick. Thank you PokeKid 25 for helping me out with that decision! Anyways, I'll do an omake chapter showing a bit of the Strauss siblings' life with Rillian before she entrusted them to Makarov and Fairy Tail some time, maybe after the finale of this fic. I've got other omake ideas, too, like when Kaia was living with her Water Dragon Mama, Moannai.**

**By the way, anyone notice that almost all my OC's have meaningful names? Like Kaia's. If you're interested in little trivia like that, go have a look around and see what you can find! You might get a bit of insight into the character by studying their name.**

**Anyways, until next time! Stay tuned! *bows low* Gute Nacht!**


	8. Ch 7: The Storm

**Regular Disclaimer:** Yeah, no one else wanted a turn to do this, so it's me again. Anyways, not mine, fic plot and OCs are mine, bada bada bada, dum! Okay, on with the tale!

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Storm**

"Mrrgh... dun wanna..."

"Kaia..."

"Du... dun wanna go bed... 'm not sleepy..."

Paying little mind to the girl's protests, Juvia pulled the sheets over her, gently tucking her in as her protests grew fainter and fainter, punctuated by the occasional toothy yawn. "You can play tomorrow Kaia. Right now is bed time; even Juvia needs to go to bed. Kaia doesn't want to be sleepy while playing with Asuka, right?" When Kaia nodded slightly, the little motion barely noticeable beneath the sheets, Juvia smiled. "Then sleep."

She sat there at the edge of the bed until the soft sound of light snoring reached her ears and lightly ran her fingers through Kaia's hair, still smiling. In only the short span of a week, she had grown rather fond of the little Dragon Slayer. Sure, Kaia was rather mischievous, stubborn, and even bratty at times, but she was still a kind, fun-loving child. Not to mention still a child; she had time to outgrow her bad habits.

With one last pat on Kaia's head, which made the sleeping girl smile and snuggle deeper under the covers, Juvia stood up and walked over to her couch before dropping into it tiredly. Their sleeping arrangements had been like this since the first night Kaia stayed with her, as Juvia didn't have the heart to make her sleep on the couch instead of a soft comfy bed. Admittedly her couch was pretty comfy too, even if it wasn't as nice as the bed. She was still moving furniture around to make room for a child-sized bed (her room had filled up some so it wasn't as sparse as it used to be) and was saving up to buy a bed for Kaia to use. The others probably would've been willing to help her out with that, but Juvia felt that since Kaia was her responsibility and placed in her care she needed to do it on her own.

Pulling her own blankets over her and with her handmade Gray-sama plushie in her arms, Juvia snuggled into the couch cushions. Her eyelids dropped lower and lower until they finally slid shut and she descended into the foggy realms of sleep with a smile.

About an hour later, she was awakened when the silence of the night was broken by a soft whimpering, a mournfully pained sound that broke Juvia's heart to hear. Rubbing sleepily at her eyes, she sat up and quietly slid out from under the blankets, slipping over to the bed. She found a still-sleeping Kaia clutching tightly to the sheets, tears staining the covers, as she continued to whimper a single word: _"Mama..."_

This was another reason Kaia had already become precious to Juvia. Every night Juvia would be awakened by Kaia's crying, no doubt reliving the memory of waking up to find her mother suddenly missing from her life. And every night, just like this one, Juvia would slide under the blankets and hold Kaia gently, wrapping her arms around the girl in a comforting embrace.

"Shhhhhh, shhhhh, it's okay, Kaia. You are not alone, not anymore. Everything is okay..." She continued murmuring soft reassurances as Kaia's whimpering grew softer and softer, until there was a peaceful smile once more on her sleeping face as she turned and returned Juvia's embrace, holding her in a hug that Juvia knew she wouldn't be able to escape from without waking the girl.

The first night this happened, when Kaia had started crying in her sleep, Juvia had been completely unsure what to do and on the verge of panic. She had never dealt with that sort of situation before, but she didn't want to just leave Kaia alone; Kaia's pain was all too obvious. In the end, she had decided to try and do what people always did in stories and to her surprise it worked. There was the side-effect that Kaia-fast asleep and unaware-would always latch onto her and refuse to let go; she was used to this now and simply accepted it.

However long Kaia had wandered alone, lost without her mother, that time was over now. She was with them, she was with Juvia, and Juvia had no intention of letting Kaia feel that loneliness again. As she lay with Kaia, feeling her eyes slowly closing shut once more, a small smile came to her face. She knew Kaia's loneliness was different than the loneliness she had suffered; Kaia had lost everything she'd known, left behind for unknown reasons by her mother, while Juvia had been through countless rejections because of her never-ending rain. But loneliness was loneliness, and Juvia was determined to help Kaia.

If Gray-sama could clear the skies for her, then she could do the same for Kaia.

She'd show her, too, that beyond the rain was a shining sun bathing the world in light.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0

_BOOM!_

For the umpteenth time that night, Laxus grimaced as the sound reverberated in his skull. He didn't have the sensitive hearing of the other Dragon Slayers (probably because he hadn't been _raised_ by _dragons_), but it was still a powerful sound. Even through his headphones (that he only donned nowadays when travelling or on slow days) it was freakin' loud. He glanced up at the sky, seeing only the stars winking back at him through the darkness, and frowned. He knew lightning during a clear sky was possible; he'd witnessed it a few times before. But he hadn't seen any lightning and had only heard the thunder.

_BOOM!_

_And I should've seen _something_ if it's gonna be that loud_, he thought sourly, eyeing the rocky terrain around him with suspicion. He was only half a day's travel from Sabertooth, off to bring the Strauss siblings back home as his grandfather had asked him to. Laxus didn't really mind putting off requests for the task; they were Fairy Tail, part of his guild, fellow guildmates, and unlike the Laxus he used to be, this Laxus was unwilling to be so callous as to ignore their plight. Hydra Fang had already sent one would-be assassin after them; two S-Class mages would be more than enough to handle anyone else they sent.

_BOOM!_ After another round of mysterious thunder, Laxus clenched a fist. That settled it, either there was someone nearby or something weird was going on. Whatever it was, he didn't want to just leave it alone. He was going with his gut on this one; if he left it alone, it would probably come back later to bite him in the ass. Clicking off his headphones and slipping them down around his neck, Laxus looked around warily, waiting for the next round of thunder to see if he could figure out where it was coming from.

_BOOM!_ When it finally resounded, Laxus was off in a burst of lightning, his entire body transformed into a lightning bolt moving too fast for normal people to keep up with. He didn't have to travel very far to find the source; it was only a couple kilometers behind him, and also moving fast. The two forces collided, the clash releasing a massive burst of electricity that scorched the ground for miles around. For a few seconds they continued to butt heads until they both retreated, dropping their transformations in favor of their normal bodies.

"Hey, hey, what've we got here huh? You're not bad, kid."

"I could say the same," Laxus grunted, eyeing the man. He hated to admit it, but that single moment of contact told him a lot about the guy's strength, and he felt pretty powerful. Normally nothing could touch him while using his **Lightning Body** spell; for it to clash with another one was a new experience. It wasn't wholly unwelcome though; it wasn't often a good challenge came his way out of the blue. "So who are you and what do you want?"

"You're the one who attacked me, bud, I should be the one asking that," the man replied, shrugging. The stranger was a tall man, probably around Laxus's height, but was less muscular than he was and definitely leaner. He had a narrow face with a cleft chin and a nose that looked like it could poke someone's eye out; whatever color his eyes were, they were hidden behind a pair of triangular shades. What made Laxus raise a brow, however, wasn't his face or his wannabe-biker attire; no, it was his outrageously large lightning-shaped black pompadour jutting out from atop his head. Quite frankly, it looked ridiculous and Laxus was tempted to rip the damn thing off his head.

"So, why'd ya do it, kid? You gonna mug me or something huh?"

"Why were you following me?" Laxus said, cutting straight to the point. The man raised an eyebrow above his shades.

"Following you? You're being a bit paranoid huh."

Sweeping his arm out at the grand expanse of the wasteland around them, Laxus glared at him. "So you 'just happened' to be taking the same path I am and 'just happened' to be right behind me in a place like this? Give me a good reason to believe you."

The man gave him what was presumably a thoughtful look (hard to tell behind those shades), brow still raised. "Hey, hey, you're not bad huh. Brighter than you look, anyway. Tell you what, I know you but you don't know me, so how about us two Lightning Mages get acquainted." He took a couple steps towards Laxus, extending a hand to shake. "You're Laxus Dreyar of Fairy Tail, your guild won the Grand Magic Games. Not bad at all huh."

Laxus didn't budge, ignoring the proffered hand. After a moment the man sighed and retracted his hand, grinning. "Right, right, my name huh. Taran Zerafiel, that's me, the Lightning Mage extraordinaire." He extended his hand again. "Happy now?"

"Sure." Laxus took the hand and just as the man's grin took on a pleased look, electricity coursed down his arm and into the hand. With a surprised yell Taran yanked his hand back, but not before Laxus saw it: a glowing violet fang.

Taran clenched his fist as the fang continued to glow, his eyes narrowing behind his shades. "How did you-no, nevermind, it's obvious huh. Damn, I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this." The man shot Laxus a grin before inhaling sharply. Sensing the build up of magical energy, Laxus quickly threw up his hands, countering the spell with his own magic as it was unleashed. "**Thunder Dragon's Roar!**"

_BOOM!_ Laxus had thrown up a barrier of magical lightning in the nick of time, the massive blast of lightning and thunder crashing into it and managing to push him back several meters. The spell was similar to his own **Lightning Dragon's Roar**, but unlike his attack most of the power came not from the lightning; the shock wave produced by the thunder was concentrated and focused, making it much more powerful. Not to mention Laxus found his head ringing despite having successfully defended himself from the spell.

_I could probably eat it, if the shock wave doesn't tear me to shreds first_, Laxus thought grimly. Taran grinned at him and started clapping.

"Oooh you're as good as they say huh. I shouldn't hold back against you, Mr. Lightning Dragon Slayer."

"Good, because I'm not going to hold back either," Laxus said, tearing off his ruined travelling coat. His opponent mimicked him, tossing aside his leather jacket without a backwards glance. "Thunder Dragon Slayer."

"It'll be a battle for the ages, so cool," Taran said eagerly, electricity sparking in the air around him. "Thunder versus lightning; I wonder who'll win huh?"

"There's only one way to find out." With that Laxus shot towards Taran, his entire body emitting a bright glow as he crackled with electricity, an electrified fist aimed at his opponent's face. Taran raised a hand and smoothly redirected Laxus's attack away from him as he brought his other hand up, glowing as he charged another spell. Knowing better than to leave him be, Laxus twisted his body and brought his leg up, kicking the other Dragon Slayer's arm and forcing his palm to face away from him. Accompanied by the deafening roll of thunder-no doubt concentrated and focused once more-a bolt of lightning was released into the empty air.

Realizing this would get nowhere fast, Taran leapt back, putting distance between him and Laxus as he prepared to attack again. "**Thunder Dragon's-**"

Laxus refused to give him this luxury and closed the distance in a flash, elbowing him sharply in the gut and releasing a burst of electricity that knocked the mage off his feet. Unfortunately his attack didn't paralyze Taran like it did other mages and the Dragon Slayer twisted in midair to face him. "**Thunder Dragon's Sonic Blaster!**" With his hands thrumming with electricity he clapped them together, unleashing rippling waves of thunder and lightning. Laxus responded with a **Lightning Dragon's Roar** and the two attacks collided in an explosion of light, spewing lightning in all directions and leaving a blackened crater.

Before the dust had a chance to settle Laxus and Taran were at it again, up close and personal and exchanging blows faster than most people could see. They blocked, countered, and redirected each other's strikes, creating a cacophony of lightning and thunder that could be seen and heard for miles around. Though Laxus had the edge of being physically stronger and more durable than Taran, the Thunder Dragon Slayer was faster and more flexible; their magical power and spellwork, however, seemed to be evenly matched and both of them were having difficulty landing a solid blow.

By pure, unbelievable chance their fists connected and released the pent-up electricity being pumped through, creating a blinding explosion that forced the two apart. Realizing he now had an opening, Laxus quickly brought a hand up, aiming his palm at Taran. Spheres of lightning began rapidly shooting out from his fingertips, exploding upon coming into contact with whatever they struck. Taran was forced to continuously evade his **Thunder Bullets**, the Lightning Dragon Slayer refusing to give the Thunder Dragon Slayer an opening.

Finally Taran simply stood his ground, turning to face Laxus as he slammed his fists into his own gut, creating a shockingly powerful wall of sound that decimated Laxus's **Thunder Bullets** and came straight at him. "**Thunder Dragon's Belly Drum!**"

It was at this point that Laxus decided enough was enough. Flexing his fingers, his entire body thrummed with electricity, the air sparking dangerously around him. Within the span of a few short seconds the humming of the electricity suddenly grew louder, much louder, the air around him lighting up from the glow. With a deafening roar Laxus brought his fists crashing together, unleashing and shaping the power he released. "You should have surrendered the moment you saw me. **Storm Detonation!**"

A blindingly bright explosion tore at the earth around him, a massive sphere of electricity that continued to rapidly expand. Taran's spell crashed into the sphere, but did little to impede its progress. He was considering backing away before it reached him when an unexpected bolt of lightning struck him, blasting him into the air. Again and again and again, lightning bolts tore away from the sphere and flew towards him, from large bolts to small ones, a barrage that didn't seem to have an end. Desperately Taran began devouring electricity, replenishing his stamina and healing his wounds, only for more lightning to strike him as he did so. It was a battle of attrition and he knew it; but would he falter before Laxus's spell ran out of power?

No, he knew he had made a big mistake. As much as he boasted that he was giving his all, he had still underestimated the Lightning mage... no, the Lightning Dragon Slayer. He hadn't believed that he had so much power. Taran had to admit it, the man did deserve the title as Lightning Dragon Slayer, even if only because of his power.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Taran summoned up the power for a spell to free him from the relentless assault. "**Thunder Bubble!**" It wasn't a terribly strong spell, just one that surrounded him in a bubble of magically-enforced sound for a few seconds, but it was enough. The moment lightning bolts ceased striking him he planted his foot on the ground and launched himself into a mad sprint that allowed him to dodge the bolts that slipped through when his spell faltered and into the open air free of lightning.

It wasn't over yet though. The electricity sphere surrounding Laxus was still sizable enough to continue its assault and it continued launching lightning bolts at the Thunder Dragon Slayer, who continued to sprint. Laxus was surprised. The man was fast, that was certain. He was evading all the bolts now; even if it was just by mere fractions of an inch, bare fragments of a second, he was still dodging them.

Laxus cut the spell off early; it was still a rather new spell and he was still experimenting with it. He didn't want to be left exposed with hardly any power. Immediately after he stopped the spell he shifted into his **Lightning Body** form and launched himself at Taran. The Thunder Dragon Slayer, realizing the spell had ended, stopped sprinting and whirled around in time to see one last lightning bolt transform into Laxus with a fist crackling dangerously with electricity.

"Aw shi-"

"_**Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Roaring Thunder!**_" Laxus's fist smashed into Taran's face, shattering his shades, breaking his nose, and with enough force to slam the man into the ground hard enough to leave a small crater. The lightning that burst from Laxus's fist scorched Taran's ridiculous pompadour and left various painful burns on his face. Laxus stood there over his fallen foe, a smirk on his face. "Looks like we know which is stronger now."

"You're pretty cocky huh?" Without warning an immense force slammed into Laxus's back, tearing a pained shout from his throat. He dropped to his hands and knees, turning his head to see a grinning Taran behind him, his head tilted to one side. "But that was close. I'll give you that huh."

Laxus was stunned. He'd been tricked! What he'd attacked hadn't even been the real Taran; the one he saw now bore traces of their battle, but lacked the evidence that Laxus's spell had connected. His hair and face were free of burns, his sunglasses were whole, and he was standing over _him_ with a victorious grin. There wasn't even a crater in the ground to mark where he had supposedly struck it. _Illusion Magic? No, I would have seen through it if that was the case... _"What... the hell... did you do?"

Taran tutted and waggled a finger at him. "I'm not going to tell you. Don't want you figuring out how it works if I need to use it on you again huh." He then let out an annoyed huff. "But I hadn't figured on needing it so soon. So good on-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as lightning surged forth beneath him, lifting the man into the air and electrocuting him thoroughly. The explosion that followed was icing on the cake. Laxus smirked again as he pushed himself back to his feet, ignoring the pain in his back from Taran's sneak attack. Then he immediately threw himself to the side as a blast of thunder and lightning surged through where he had just been standing mere seconds before.

As he turned, Laxus was unsurprised to see Taran behind him, one eyebrow raised. "Huh. Guess the same trick won't work twice huh."

"Nope." With that, Laxus started another round of attacks, activating his **Lightning Storm** spell with a single hand as he held an open palm above his head, pointed at the sky. From his palm a sphere of electricity lashed out, scattering bolts of lightning in all directions, random and unpredictable. Taran was hard-pressed to dodge them, especially as he had to keep an eye on all the bolts at once. Meanwhile, Laxus stood there calmly, watching. Observing.

Then in a flash he took his orb of electricity and flung it to his right, the sphere still madly spewing lightning as it flew through the air. There was an indignant shout and a blast of thunder cancelled out the spell, the dust clearing to reveal a none-too-pleased Taran.

"Lucky guess huh."

"I'm not telling you how I knew," Laxus said, smirking as Taran registered the mockery behind his words and glared at him. Channeling some of his old persona he straightened to his full height and sneered at the Thunder Dragon Slayer. "You're barely even a challenge. I expected better from someone who calls himself a Dragon Slayer."

A flicker of anger showed briefly in the way Taran's brows twitched, but there was little other reaction aside from that. "Arrogant jerk. Well, I'm not here for you anyways. I've wasted enough time huh." As he turned to leave, Laxus reacted and rushed towards him, determined to take him out before he could escape. But just as he neared the other mage, Taran whirled around and his mouth opened wide.

Suddenly there was a strange sound, a sound so piercing that Laxus winced, and a blinding flash that brought him to his knees. The problem was, as his ears were ringing, the blindingly white flash refuse to leave his sight; all he saw was whiteness. _What the hell was that?!_ He suspected that it was a spell; was it like his own **Lightning Flash**? No, it was weird; he heard the sound then saw the flash. Something was weird about the whole thing and he didn't like it.

Still, there wasn't much he could do at this point. Stumbling around blindly would only make things worse, so with a sigh he sat down and crossed his legs on the rocky ground, his arms crossed over his chest. Until the spell wore off, he had no choice but to wait. It irritated him that he had been one-upped like this, but on the other hand it wasn't exactly a defeat; Taran had run away, which he decided meant the battle was his victory. Or would have been a complete and total victory if not for the Thunder Dragon Slayer's dirty trick, whatever it was.

He wasn't too concerned about Taran being an assassin though; the Strauss siblings were in Sabertooth, where no danger could hope to come to them. Not with one of the Ten Wizard Saints there and, according to Makarov, she was a mage who was stronger than her ranking implied. Then there was what he'd seen of Sabertooth's strength at the Grand Wizard Games; they'd be fine. He didn't even need to toss the Strauss siblings' own strengths into it; even if Elfman was injured, Mirajane was strong enough to protect all three of them. Hell, she knew more magic than he did even if only her Take Over spells were good enough for battle. Whatever trick that Taran guy used on him, she'd probably be able to see through it.

Still, he wished the spell would hurry up and wear off faster. He didn't want to take the chance that he was wrong. Especially not when the lives of his friends were on the line.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0

Rillian sighed as she signed yet another piece of paperwork, the flame of the lone candle on her desk flickering in reaction to her movement. The Take Over mage wasn't exactly a creature of the night, but she didn't have a choice considering she had neglected her duties as Guild Master in favor of chatting with Elfman, Mirajane, and Lisanna. Not that she regretted catching up with them; Rillian loved the three of them dearly and to see them again after so long... well, her old friends would have laughed, seeing her act so soft. Setting her quill (yes, so she was a bit old-fashioned, but San's moulted feathers made excellent quills so she had a steady supply) aside, Rillian slip open a drawer and withdrew an old, framed photograph.

Though behind the glass of the frame the picture was creased, very creased, from being folded and opened and folded again and again, the figures in the picture were still very clear. In the center was a girl with short, wild black hair and bright ice-blue eyes, an embarrassed frown on her face that was in contrast to the other two on either side of her. The girl on her right had a confident smirk on her face, a pointy purple witch's hat perched atop her head at a jaunty angle and one arm slung across the other girl's shoulders. On the other side was a boy with a soft smile, taller than them by at least a head. Both had blue eyes and white hair (though the girl's was more a light silver than white) but all three wore necklaces with the same pendant: a symbol of a stylized bear paw with a seven-point star in the center.

Lightly she traced a finger over the picture, allowing old memories to flow through her mind. There were plenty there, memories of laughter, of excitement and unbreakable friendship. But there were other memories too, of tears and pain and regrets, of longing to turn back the clock and change what could never be undone. Rillian shoved the negative memories aside; her dreams were haunted enough by old regrets.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of thunder and Rillian turned to stare out the window, her eyes narrowed. It sounded close. Normally the sound of thunder would be anything but suspicious and she'd been hearing the faint sound of thunder for a while now anyways; this time, however, the air felt too normal for there to be a thunderstorm. Putting the picture away, she stood and moved over to the window. She saw bright flashes of light in the distance, too bright to be normal lightning.

_A magic battle_, Rillian knew, her skin prickling. With all the information Dobengal and Orga managed to extract from Sol, there were some unexpected tidbits that she had yet to inform other Guild Masters of. One of them being Sol's confident assurances that Hydra Fang would rescue him. Though it had originally been laughed off as a typical baseless threat, Rillian was going with her gut on this one. She had seen the look in his eyes as he said it; it had been disturbingly similar to the look in her students' eyes whenever they talked about how Fairy Tail would never abandon a member of their "family."

She needed a better look at what was happening. There was a spell she had developed, one that allowed her and San to share their sight, to see what the other was seeing. It was very handy, except that at the moment San was with the Strauss siblings in the medical wing, keeping careful watch. Clicking her tongue impatiently, Rillian departed from her office.

She needed to rouse help. Someone needed to go investigate the site of the battle and they needed to be prepared for a possible intruder. Whether that intruder intended to free Sol, attack her children, or both didn't matter.

They were entering a territory where they weren't welcome. And she did not particularly care for unwelcome visitors.

Rillian took particular care in who she roused, taking account into who was already awake. Sting and Rogue were roused, as their keen senses would help detect the intruder if they tried entering stealthily, not to mention Rogue's uncanny ability to melt into the shadows. There was no avoiding waking their Exceed partners, so they were sent with them. Yukino was accidentally roused when Rillian woke Rogue (and was very much embarrassed at being caught sleeping in her boyfriend's room, not that Rillian cared if she did or not) but Rillian allowed her to assist; Libra would be handy in trapping an intruder and Pisces were fierce fighters. Rogue was against it at first; Rillian merely brushed aside his protectiveness by reminding him that Yukino was a powerful mage, not to mention her possession of three golden Keys was not just for show.

She then informed Rufus of the situation and he was out patrolling the halls as well; he tended to stay up late at night reading so it was no bother to him. Rillian suspected it was to help him practice his memorization skills which in turn aided his magic, but she never bothered him about it. It wasn't nearly half as bad as what she did when she was learning Take Over magic (or what she made the Strauss siblings do during their training).

There were several others she alerted, but most notably was two of the new members, a pair of quiet twins named Reye and Reina Ramos. Both of them had untamed black hair that shadowed their grey eyes, their bangs long enough to cover one of their eyes (Reye's right eye and Reina's left one, to be specific), and were a tad on the short side. They usually kept to themselves as many in Sabertooth found them "creepy and unsettling" but over time she saw them socializing much more with others, even if one was never seen without the other. Which, considering their magic, made sense. Rillian had never met Jiemma, but she was certain the man wouldn't have allowed them to join Sabertooth; each twin was useless without the other around.

Assured that the guild would be well-protected, Rillian headed out to investigate the battle or at least the site of the battle; it was quiet now, so she could only assume it was over. Whatever had happened, she didn't like it and let out a low growl as she approached where she saw the flashes of light. For Rillian it wasn't a long travel; she was soon upon the site, the scents of two unfamiliar humans lingering in the air. Sabertooth's Master frowned. The scents were odd. They had a faint similarity to Rogue and Sting's scents, but in different ways. It was maddening. Shrugging it off, she walked cautiously over to the figure she saw, her hair rising on end as she felt the lingering charge in the air. _That explains the thunder, then. At least one of the fighters used Lightning Magic._

Once she figured that out and got a good look at the sitting figure, the pieces fell into place. "You must be Laxus Dreyar. I've heard quite a bit about you, young man."

At the sound of her voice, Laxus's head turned and he didn't quite look at her, but he was at least facing her general direction. For some reason his eyes were closed and he was rubbing a hand against his ear. "That makes one of us. Who are you?"

"Rillian Jager, Guild Master of Sabertooth."

"So I have heard of you. I remember hearing Mira complainin' to Gramps about you when we were kids... but that's not important. There's a Hydra Fang mage here, he's probably going to try to spring that Hydra Fang guy you have in your custody or finish what he started. Or both. He's pretty strong, too, and has some tricks up his sleeve. I don't know what he did, but I'm still blinded by whatever that bastard did. Oh yeah, and he's the Thunder Dragon Slayer, figure that's important for you to know."

"A Dragon Slayer? Of all things." Now she knew what connected Sting and Rogue to Laxus and the mage he fought. She raised an eyebrow at Laxus. "You are the Lightning Dragon Slayer, correct? Were you...?"

Laxus laughed; he'd heard this question many times before. "Nope, I get it from a lacrima. All I know about dragons are what I've heard in stories and when I fought one after the Grand Magic Games."

"I see. In that case..." Effortlessly Rillian pulled Laxus to his feet, keeping one hand on his wrist as she led the way back to Sabertooth. "We should hurry. Although I trust the guild is currently in capable hands, we were not expecting to ever face a Dragon Slayer." Her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed into a thin frown. "If a previously unheard of Dragon Slayer can suddenly appear out of the blue like this, does that mean there are possibly other Dragon Slayers out there we don't know of?"

Laxus merely shrugged. Rillian didn't say anything else, but she knew a fishy reaction when she sensed one. At her admittedly rhetorical question, the man had suddenly tensed and seemed... wary. Like he was hiding something. Well, whatever it was that he was hiding about Dragon Slayers, it wasn't her business. She just hoped Fairy Tail wasn't hiding anything too dangerous, for their own sakes. _Hmph, as if I am one to talk about secrets..._

She didn't know what difference it made to possess Dragon Slayer magic through lacrima or being raised by a dragon, but Rillian was certain that Laxus didn't notice that she was following the unfamiliar scent. Correction, the scent of the Thunder Dragon Slayer. And, of course, it was leading her on a path back to her guild. "**Animal Soul: Night Eye**."

Aside from the scent trail, there was little else to go on. The rocky terrain and the dry, firm soil was too solid for footprints and there was nothing disturbed by the one who had passed through. It irked her, really, how much of a pain tracking someone in this terrain could be. Give her a forest hunt anyday. Still, she had to keep an eye out, just in case the Thunder Dragon Slayer wasn't the only enemy they had to worry about.

Behind her Laxus was blinking furiously as his vision slowly began returning to him, freeing him from the endless void of white. There were still large white spots in his vision however, so he continued to allow Rillian to lead him. It rankled that he had to be led around like a helpless child, even if it was by necessity; just another reason to figure out Taran's trick and beat him to a pulp the next time they clashed.

Rillian looked up at Sabertooth's castle looming over the city, growing larger with every step they took towards it. "We'll be there by morning. I'm certain they have everything under control; hmph, I bet it'll be dead quiet by the time we arrive."

If Rillian had known what was about to go down at Sabertooth, as Taran clambered in through a window only to see a weird green cat wearing a pink frog suit staring at him with bulging eyes, she probably would have made an effort to hurry.

After all, she would have wanted to witness it all for herself.

**Author's Notes**

**Yeah, this took longer than expected, sorry. And this chapter was going to be much longer, but I decided to end this chapter here and start on the next chapter which will detail Taran's attempt to retrieve Sol from Sabertooth's clutches. Will he succeed? Will he fail? Will Sol be the butt monkey of the chapter or even of this fic?**

**By the way, you have no idea how much research I did for this chapter, it was tiring. But fun, I learned some interesting new things! Anyways, hoped you like the battle between Laxus and Taran; spoiler alert, that won't be the last time they clash. And I know, I know, "**_**Another**_** Dragon Slayer?! What are you thinking, Hikawa?! That's so unoriginal!" Don't worry, I wouldn't have done it if there wasn't a reason for it.**

**I've also got an explanation (or theory, if we apply it to Fairy Tail itself) for the difference between dragon-raised Dragon Slayers and lacrima'd Dragon Slayers. Unless I missed something in the manga that shows Laxus is just as good at sniffing stuff out and has sensitive hearing like the other Slayers (Cobra doesn't count, his hearing is beyond anyone else's). If I did, let me know and I'll correct it!**

**Stay tuned for Chapter 8! *bows low* Gute Nacht!**


End file.
